The Agency for Nature and Forests, what is that?
The Agency for Nature and Forests is the Flemish government organization responsible for managing forests. It also assesses environmental permits involving deforestation. Those permits to cut forests are approved in 93 percent of the cases. What’s more, when the agency gives a negative advice, that advice is ignored in 60 percent of the cases. Municipalities and provinces then decide that forests may be felled after all. The advice of the agency is then not binding.
“That’s because, of course, we reason from an ecological perspective,” says the agency. “And municipalities and provinces also take other needs into account to come to a final decision.” The agency also points out that the vast majority of approved deforestation is in residential and industrial areas.
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