Representatives of the Princely Court of Lorenzburg received the Forest on The international day of biological diversity 
Speakers: H.S.H. Prins Frei von Fräähsen zu Lorenzburg,
H.E. baroness Magdalena von Takomstierna,
Susanna Arolin – The Forest Emissary
Fanfareist & master of ceremonies: baroness Anita von Doom und Herzdämmerung.
Organizers: Jonaz Berg och Susanna Arolin, and friends.
With thanks to Higab and Kronhuset
H.S.H. Prince Frei’s speech in English:
Dear Forest,
Today, on the International Day for Biological Diversity, we gather here by the Kronhuset in the City. The cobblestones beneath our feet were laid by human hands, yet beneath and between them lies nature—soil. There, life persists: bacteria, worms, fungi, beetles. Microplants, seeds, lichens. In the cracks of the city, nature hides—and waits. And nature is patient with us humans. Perhaps too patient. We have forgotten that we, too, are nature.
We carve stone and pour asphalt. We reinforce concrete and build bridges. We drain wetlands. We cut down trees. Yes, we have forgotten.
Today, on the International Day for Biological Diversity, we gather here by the Kronhuset in the City. The cobblestones beneath our feet were laid by human hands, yet beneath and between them lies nature—soil. There, life persists: bacteria, worms, fungi, beetles. Microplants, seeds, lichens. In the cracks of the city, nature hides—and waits. And nature is patient with us humans. Perhaps too patient. We have forgotten that we, too, are nature.
We carve stone and pour asphalt. We reinforce concrete and build bridges. We drain wetlands. We cut down trees. Yes, we have forgotten.
But now you are here, dear Forest—many-headed, far-reaching, deep-rooted, alive. We welcome you and thank you for finally arriving in the city. Yet even this is forgetting, for you were already here. You have always been here: between the cobblestones and beneath the pavement. As small, patient beings, alive and waiting. From cracks in the facades, you emerge as wind-sown rowan. On rooftops, you watch us through the eyes of gulls and swallows. Your greenery spreads across windows and down drainpipes—moss, algae…
Here, in the meeting between asphalt and roots, we are reminded that the forest has always been a neighbor among us.
Today marks the International Day for Biological Diversity. The richness of species and habitats is a fundamental precondition for a living future on this planet. Diversity means resilience. And we humans have forgotten that too. We are witnessing a rapid extinction of species, accelerated by the growing effects of climate change. We humans are hastening the process—through our greenhouse gas emissions, yes, but also through the monocultures we insist on maintaining.
Of the total biomass of mammals on Earth, wild populations—ranging from elephants, giraffes, and moose to tigers and shrews—now make up only 4%. Humans account for 36%, and our domesticated livestock a staggering 60%. Our relentless expansion means that up to one million species are at risk of vanishing in the near future. And when they disappear, they are gone forever.
Forest—you are a vital ally in the fight against climate change, yet you are being felled at a harrowing pace. The creatures and spirits that dwell within your green halls are losing their homes. Without you, we too are homeless.
As Prince of the West Coast-based Principality of Lorenzburg, we hereby pledge our eternal protection and unwavering love to the Forest. We proclaim the Forest a sovereign entity—endowed with the right to freedom, justice, and representation at every table of negotiation, and in every decision that concerns the forest and those who belong to it. The Forest shall, for all time, hold voice and vote in the cabinet of Lorenzburg, through a delegate or emissary who speaks on its behalf.
This we pledge, and this we shall uphold.
