About the LANA

The Working Group on Nature Conservation, Landscape Management and Recreation (LANA) is a body of the Conference of Environment Ministers (UMK).

Emerging from the meetings of the conservation liaison officers, which had been taking place since 1959, the body was constituted at its first meeting on the 1st of December 1971 in Hanover.

Members of LANA are the department heads of the highest state authorities for nature conservation as well as representatives of the federal government. LANA meetings are generally held twice a year. The chair of the committee is held by a federal state. The chairmanship changes every two years in alphabetical order. 
In 2022 and 2023, the chair is held by the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt.


Objectives and tasks

The aim of LANA is to discuss issues and problems of nature conservation on a transnational and joint basis, to formulate solutions and to initiate recommendations for their implementation. Thereby, current issues of nature conservation in the national and international field are also taken up and discussed on a broad basis. Furthermore, the exchange of information between the federal states is important for the harmonization of the enforcement of nature conservation legislation.

In order to fulfill its objectives, LANA has established standing committees to which specific areas of responsibility are assigned:

• Standing committee for legal issue
• Standing committee for protection of species and habitats
• Standing committee for intervention rules and landscape planning
• Standing committee for questions of principle and NATURA 2000

The Conference of Environment Ministers (UMK) commissions LANA with the professional preparation of its resolutions. LANA can also submit its own proposed resolutions to the Conference of Environment Ministers. The work results of LANA can be published with the approval of the Deputy Ministers Conference. These are, for example, policy papers, proposals for national applications, models for administrative regulations or the results of investigations.

Another task of LANA is interdisciplinary cooperation with other state working groups, e.g. LAWA, LAI and Arge Landentwicklung as well as nature conservation associations.