Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health

For Man and the Environment - Tasks of the Ministry

Information and Communications

The Ministry offers a comprehensive service for man and the environment in the fields of information, communications, education and counseling. It includes not only up-to-the-minute press releases, but also press photos, press reports on specific topics, a Newsletter covering a variety of themes and regions, an extensiveInfo-Shop containing all the publications of the Ministry, frequently asked questions from citizens and the answers given by our experts as well as a full presentation of all the major topics and technical information relating to the environment and public health.

Nature Conservation and Landscape Management

The aim of Bavaria’s nature conservation policy is to preserve and further develop the diversity of species, diversity of habitats and leisure quality of our countryside. A future worth living for us and generations to come – that is the goal experts are working towards in the Ministry of the Environment as the Supreme Nature Conservation Authority, in the Nature Conservation Authorities (Höhere Naturschutzbehörde) of the seven Bavarian governments and in 96 Nature Conservation Boards (Untere Naturschutzbehörde) in counties and towns, in the Bavarian Environment Agency (LfU) and the Academy for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management (ANL). The integrated biotope system BayernNetz Natur now covers more than 30 % of the State’s surface: 2 national parks, 584 nature conservation reserves, 701 protected landscape areas and 16 nature parks.

Water Management and Flood Control

The duties of the Bavarian water management authorities consist mainly of protecting water as an integral part of the nature balance and as the habitat of animals and plants, enabling people to use water in a responsible fashion and protecting them against the hazards posed by water. This is the objective of experts in the Ministry of the Environment, in the 17 State Offices for Water Management, the Bavarian Environment Agency, in 7 district governments and 96 counties and towns. Together with a well-functioning (water) infrastructure, the administrative water management bodies secure the basic prerequisites for our quality of life in the long term.

Soil Protection and Remediation of Contaminated Sites

As a natural resource essential for life, soil must be protected for man and the environment and placed at the disposal of future generations free of contamination to the greatest possible extent. In order to achieve this goal, pollutants must be avoided or reduced, land use, erosion and structural changes must be minimized and natural resources conserved. Particular attention must be paid to the remediation of contaminated sites. The Bavarian Geological Agency offers a state-wide geo-scientific mapping service, prepares data and cartographic works and publishes a Soil Protection Information System. Preventive measures are taken against natural hazards by identifying and analyzing mass migrations in the Alpine regions as well as by the Bavarian warthquake Service.

Air Pollution Control in Bavaria

Improving the quality of our air and preventive management for a stable climate is one of our key missions. The road to cleaner air must be followed via the reduction of emissions and air quality monitoring. Bavaria’s progress in air pollution control is evident: emissions and contamination caused by significant pollutants, especially sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and benzene have been drastically reduced. Since 1974, the Ministry of the Environment has been operating the world’s first fully automated Air Quality Monitoring System (Lufthygienische Landesüberwachungssystem Bayern (LÜB)) which is a network comprising over 50 gauging stations; in addition to these installations there are also measuring vehicles in operation.

Climate Protection in Bavaria

Climate protection is the key challenge of the 21st century. The Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment is committed to the goal of establishing a foresighted, sustainable and consistent strategy for climate protection. Cooperative action by industry, politics and the society is essential to counteract an imminent climate change. Keeping this in mind, Bavaria already adopted a Climate Protection Concept  in October 2000, which was later updated in 2003. It is the set goal of this concept to reduce CO2 emissions in Bavaria by approximately 10% by the year 2010. The energy concept of the Bavarian State Government also focuses on the reduction of CO2 emissions, on the conservation of energy and on the increased use of renewable energies. The Environmental Pact of Bavaria is flanked by Bavarian proactive engagement for climate protection.

Waste Management

Responsible waste management is of major significance for the environment, for public health and also for sustainable management of natural resources. The Bavarian waste management policy intends to move away from pure waste disposal towards integrated waste management. This approach has now become a major aspect of waste legislation. In this respect, modern waste management is increasingly viewed from the angle of Integrated Product Policy. On the basis of the “Integrated Waste Management Concept” and through dedicated efforts on the part of citizens and waste disposal organizations there has been a radical improvement in waste management in Bavaria.

Genetic Engineering in Bavaria

The Bavarian Ministry sees genetic engineering as a key future technology, which promises advancement in medicine, in environmental protection and in the supply of food for a growing world population. A support program which focuses on “Genetic Engineering and Environmental Protection“ has been launched to develop genetic engineering processes aimed at protecting the environment. With 88 companies operating in the core field of biotechnology, Bavaria is Germany’s leading federal state in this sector. Proper enforcement of genetic engineering law will ensure the safety of people and the environment. At the Bavarian Environmental Protection Agency, the genetic engineering monitoring laboratory – set up in 1992 as the first of its kind in Germany - contributes towards this objective.

Electromagnetic Pollution and Mobile Phones

Electromagnetic pollution is a media topic that attracts highest public attention and generates strong emotions. The rapid expansion of mobile phone networks, which currently supply some 65 million users in Germany, is the focal point on which the concerns and fears of citizens are centered. The State Ministry of the Environment intends to present the discussion objectively through studies and on the basis of information obtained from experts. In the Mobile Phone Pact II mobile phone providers, the Bavarian State Government, the umbrella organizations of Bavarian municipalities and district counties have agreed to allow an increased participation of local authorities in matters concerning the expansion of networks and to provide citizens with more information.

Reactor Safety and Radiation Protection

The Bavarian State Ministry is the highest approval and supervisory authority in Bavaria for the erection, operation, shut-down and decommissioning of nuclear power plants, for collection sites within the State serving the intermediate storage of radioactive waste as well as for the use of nuclear fuels outside of these plants. The safety of the five Bavarian nuclear power plant blocks is monitored by the Ministry by such means as an automated remote monitoring system for nuclear reactors as well as through regular tests and inspections. Radioactivity in the environment is measured both automatically and manually. Food products are checked for radioactivity on a regular basis. Waste from medicinal origin, research and industry is delivered to the Bavarian collection site for safe intermediate storage.

Health

As the responsible body for infection protection and hygiene, epidemic control, drug abuse, pharmaceuticals and pharmacies, environmental and nutritional medicine through to bioethics, the Ministry pursues a wide range of tasks concerning health issues. In this respect, the Ministry of Health as the highest authority in this field is assisted by the Public Health Departmentsand the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Agency.

Food Safety

Safe food, that is food which is of perfect hygienic quality and which is correctly labeled, ranks at the top of the list of consumer interests.  In addition to being guaranteed by producers and traders, this quality is also ensured by the food inspection authorities. Besides the Bavarian Ministry for Consumer Protection as the highest food inspection authority, these include the health and veterinary departments as well as food inspectors. They are assisted by the experts of the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Agency.

Animal Health and Animal Welfare

The Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Health is committed to the goal of maintaining, enhancing and restoring the health of animals. Through the exploitation of farm animals the food produced from animals has an immediate impact on people’s health. The spread of epidemical animal diseases can, however, also cause substantial financial hardship for producers. Furthermore, the concept of animal welfare requires people to adopt responsibility and to care for animals.

Agenda 21 – Sustainable Development

There are different activities and initiatives of the Bavarian State Government in support of a sustainable development at a state, district and local government level in Bavaria. The network of "sustainable citizen local authority" and the current development of a "Bavarian Sustainablity Strategy" are just some examples.


Environment and the Business Community

The Environmental Pact of Bavaria is an agreement between the Bavarian State Government and the Bavarian Business Community for the corporate environmental protection in Bavaria. It is based on the principles of voluntary commitment, direct responsibility and cooperation.
The first environmental pact was signed 1995 for the duration of five years and has been already extended for the fourth time. The current "Environmental Pact of Bavaria - Sustainable Growth with Environmental and Climate Protection“, signed on November 18, 2010, contains the key topics Climate and Energy, Energy efficient Building and Reconstruction, Energy efficiency in the production process, Alternative drive systems and E-Mobility, Clean-Tech, Integrated Product Policy (IPP) & Resource efficiency and Management systems, with overall 274 commitments on the part of Bavarian State Government and Bavarian Business Community. So called "Working Groups" were established parallel as think thanks. Furthermore already more than 3,300 companies became participant of the current environmental pact by accessing the participation criteria. The period of the "fourth" ,Environmental Pact of Bavaria - Sustainable Growth with Environmental and Climate Protection` is from 2010 until 2015.

The EU and International Affairs

The Bavarian Ministry actively maintains relations with a large number of regions and states in Europe and worldwide. International cooperation focuses on the transfer and exchange of know-how as well the support of sustainable development. In close collaboration with institutions of the EU, its aim is to improve the quality of the environment, the protection of our natural resources essential for human life in Europe, consumer protection as well as the coordination of EU health measures. It is the objective of these contacts to introduce key concerns of Bavaria into the European development, EU legislation and the harmonization of law enforcement


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