Environmentalists from several organizations are campaigning for the life of strictly protected sand lizards in Spandau. They criticize an application by the Spandau Roads and Parks Office (SGA) to kill the animals. This is necessary so that the landscape cemetery Gatow Süd can be expanded.
In a joint statement, the Berlin State Working Group on Nature Conservation, BUND Berlin and the Berlin Nature Conservation Union (Nabu) unequivocally reject the plans.
Ansgar Poloczek, species protection officer for the Nabu regional association in Berlin, said: “It is scandalous that the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection should approve the killing of strictly protected animals. The fact that such a measure is even being considered is only due to the previous inactivity of the office.”
Muslims are to be buried in the cemetery
It has been known since 2015 that additional areas are planned for burials of the Muslim communities in the cemetery. “In 2021 the topic came back onto the agenda. Accordingly, the SGA Spandau has had sufficient time since 2021 to apply for the implementation of sand lizards under nature conservation law and to create compensation areas for them,” the statement said.
Dirk Schäuble, urban nature and species protection officer at the BUND regional association in Berlin, said: “It is incredible that ecologically valuable cemetery areas are being built on in central areas of Berlin because they are said to be no longer needed for burials. At the same time, strictly protected animals are being killed on the outskirts of the city to create space for burials. That is absurd.”
Conservationists see alternative areas
The declaration refers to Trinity Cemetery III in Mariendorf, half of which is to be sealed with new buildings. These are areas that have never been used for burials. Therefore, they are suitable for Muslim funerals.
In addition, the cemetery is much more centrally located and therefore easier to reach. The same applies to a previously unoccupied meadow on the St-Thomas-Kirchhof in Neukölln. These and other areas were not examined in the course of the application process.
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