Two nature experts told DR that Danish fear of wolves, caterpillars and poisonous plants has grown out of proportion after a summer of alarming stories.
Author and historian of ideas Rune Engelbreth Larsen says the fear of larvae, wolves, ticks, weever fish and plants is being blown out of proportion. According to DR, he calls it not just nature anxiety, but hysterical. Larsen is a member of Naturfagligt Udvalg in Danmarks Naturfredningsforening.
The comments follow a summer dominated by wolf coverage. A public wolf meeting was held in Egtved on Thursday evening, where the animal’s behavior in Denmark was discussed. In the same area, the pony Bellami was killed.
Larsen says stories about killer jellyfish, larvae from hell and toxic plants make nature look hostile. He argues that nature in Denmark is in reality highly beneficial. He adds that it is not wrong to fear a wolf or avoid a poisonous plant, but that the reaction is being whipped up beyond all limits.
In Odense, the oak processionary moth larva moved into private gardens, closed an institution and led to citizen meetings and demonstrations. Odense Kommune has published a map of registered larvae findings this year. The municipality warns that the hairs, known as brandhår, can cause skin and respiratory reactions.
Odense Kommune states that more than 20 specialist teams worked intensively for over a week to reduce the number of nests. The municipality also set up a strengthened weekend preparedness against the larvae, according to its own press information.
Several paths were closed because of heavy infestation. The municipality later announced that all previously closed paths had reopened after inspection and removal of observed nests. It stressed that this is not a guarantee that all larvae are gone.
Professor points to unfamiliarity
Rasmus Ejrnæs, professor of biodiversity at the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, says the reaction shows how unfamiliar Danes have become with nature. When a new animal arrives, such as the wolf or the oak processionary moth, people go into a form of panic, he says.
Ejrnæs describes the larva as one of the planet’s creatures and a sign of life. He acknowledges that changing nature creates challenges in cities and gardens. Large animals can be kept out with fences, but people must find a way to live alongside small animals, he says.
Both Ejrnæs and Larsen call for more coverage in which experts are given space. Larsen says facts matter, but have come to play a small role in the nature debate.
At Naturskolen in Kolding, nature guide Rune Kjærgaard Lange brings children close to hoverflies and toads. He says people must accept that nature also includes plants that sting or are poisonous and animals that bite. Denmark has had nature guides since the 1990s, but knowledge about nature has been declining, he says.
