Serge Wilmes, Luxembourg’s Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, pictured with members of the Natura 2000 steering committee “LIAS – Uelzechtdall”;
Credit: MECB/Studion Photography
On Wednesday 17 September 2025, Luxembourg’s Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Serge Wilmes, inaugurated the Natura 2000 steering committee (COPIL) “LIAS – Uelzechtdall” at the Brill nature reserve in Schifflange.
According to the authorities, the purpose of the COPIL is to balance nature protection with the ecological, economic, social, cultural and agricultural aspects of each territory. They also facilitate coordination among stakeholders. The COPILs were created under the amended law of 18 July 2018 on the protection of nature and natural resources and are responsible for governance and the implementation of Natura 2000 management plans.
With the signing of the collaboration charter for the COPIL “LIAS – Uelzechtdall”, this becomes the eighth and last to be set up, following those of the sites: “Minetter Dagebaugebidder”; “Éislek”; “Atert-Warkdall”; “Mamer-Äischdall-Gréngewald”; “Mëllerdall”; “Uewersauer”; “Guttland Musel”.
In Luxembourg, the Natura 2000 network currently covers 28.07% of the national territory area, i.e. 72,797 hectares. It comprises 49 “Habitats” sites (48,892 ha) and eighteen “Birds” sites (47,259 ha), which overlap in certain areas.
“The steering committees are an essential participatory tool to ensure effective management of our Natura 2000 sites. It is thanks to this collaboration that we can achieve our objectives of protecting natural habitats and species. In relation to the size of our territory, the surface area of our Natura 2000 sites places us among the top five European countries - a source of pride and an asset for our country,” underlined Minister Wilmes.
The COPIL “LIAS – Uelzechtdall” brings together representatives from ministries, local municipalities, environmental associations and agricultural groups, and will be chaired by Michel Krischel, Head of the Southern Division within the Nature and Forest Agency (ANF).
According to the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, a coordinator has been appointed within the ANF to assist the COPIL in its work. The coordinator will organise the committee’s activities, act as the contact point for members and support the implementation and monitoring of measures set out in the Natura 2000 management plans.
The name “LIAS – Uelzechtdall” refers to the Lower Jurassic (Lias) geological layers that characterise the region between Luxembourg City and the Minett in the south, with the Alzette valley marking the eastern boundary.
The twelve Natura 2000 sites, which feature two Special Protection Areas (SPAs/ZPS) and ten Special Areas of Conservation (SACs/ZSC), include floodplains, meadows and forest habitats that are important for biodiversity, particularly birdlife. Their preservation requires joint management that balances nature protection with human, cultural and agricultural interests.
Land use is closely linked to the Alzette and its tributary, the Mess. Around 60% of the area is agricultural, mainly grassland and arable land, while about 30% is covered by oak and beech forests. In total, some 70% of the Natura 2000 land is privately owned.
The Birds sites (SPAs) in the area include habitats such as meadows, wetlands and reed beds, with the Roeserbann site and its oxbow lakes a notable remnant of former alluvial forests. Smaller areas of beech and oak-hornbeam forest are also present.
The white stork is an emblematic species of the region, alongside others such as the kingfisher and Bechstein’s bat, reflecting the diversity of local biodiversity.
For more information, see http://natura2000.lu/.
EO
