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Nature conservation projects
The biosphere reserve administrations of the participating federal states are working together with their partners to improve habitat quality, particularly in the areas of the maintenance and development zone, by implementing nature conservation projects.
Here we present selected nature conservation projects.
Saxony-Anhalt
Large-scale nature conservation project Middle Elbe - Black Elster
Project area: Elbe, Black Elster and floodplain areas in the district of Wittenberg
Running time: 2020 - 2033
Occasion: For over 100 years, the riverbed of the Middle Elbe has been steadily eroded by riverbed erosion. Construction measures to make the river navigable have exacerbated the unfavorable consequences: The surrounding floodplain landscape is flooded less and less frequently and is drying out. This change in the ecosystems threatens numerous floodplain species.
Solution: In order to restore the Middle Elbe and the adjacent floodplain areas, measures are being implemented to stabilize the water balance of the floodplain in the long term and improve connectivity with the Elbe, its floodplains close to the river and the Black Elster. A central approach is the planned reconnection of old watercourses to the main river. The typical floodplain habitats are to be preserved and improved through the desilting of old watercourses and the creation of new small bodies of water.
Partner: Heinz-Sielmann-Stiftung, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, State of Saxony-Anhalt, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, chance.natur
Large-scale nature conservation project "Lower Havel lowlands"
Project area: Havel floodplains between Pritzerbe (Brandenburg) and the mouth of the Havel into the Elbe near Gnevsdorf (Saxony-Anhalt)
Running time: 2005 - 2025
Occasion: Good water quality, periodically flooded floodplains and diverse, species-rich bank structures once formed the character of the lower Havel. Much of this was lost due to river development in favor of shipping and melioration. Embankments, bank reinforcements and soil drainage no longer allowed for natural floodplain dynamics, and the river and wetland lost their close relationship and shape.
Solution: The main aim of the project is therefore to secure the existence of one of the largest Central European wetlands through careful renaturation and to preserve its great importance for bird conservation. The ecological damage caused by intensive use is gradually being repaired through networked measures. In future, maintenance of the Havel riverbed will be limited to a much narrower channel, outside of which river structures such as sandbanks and pools can form. Rock fills will be removed in favor of natural banks with break-off edges, typical vegetation and wildlife. Ecological continuity will be improved by means of fish ladders.
Partner: Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) Germany, Rathenow project office, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (represented by Federal Agency for Nature Conservation), State of Saxony-Anhalt/Biosphere Reserve Administration Middle Elbe, State of Brandenburg, Nature Park Westhavelland; funded by the federal program chance.natur
Large-scale nature conservation project Middle Elbe
Project area: Floodplain area between the Mulde and Saale estuaries including the Steckby-Lödderitz forest
Running time: 2001 - 2018
Occasion: Near-natural floodplains are among the most endangered habitats in Central Europe. The Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve therefore has a special responsibility to protect the near-natural floodplain landscapes, including the floodplain forests. Along the Elbe, around 80 % of all floodplains have been interrupted or destroyed by the construction of dykes. As the Elbe could no longer flood in these areas, valuable habitats were lost. The restriction of the river also increased the risk of uncontrolled flooding. The aim of the project was therefore to create a continuous network of genuine floodplain forests.
Solution: In order to create a continuous floodplain, a new 7.3 km long dyke was built between the mouth of the Mulde and the Saale. The old dyke was slit, i.e. made permeable. This made it possible to create floodplain space - and with it a recent floodplain landscape. – will be created. This measure is currently the largest dyke relocation in Germany. In the event of flooding, the Elbe will have 600 hectares more flooding area at its disposal. The floodplain habitats are legally protected by the "Middle Elbe between Mulde and Saale" nature reserve.
Partner: WWF-Germany, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, represented by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Saxony-Anhalt; funded by the federal program chance.natur
LIFE + Elbe meadows near Vockerode
Project area: Elbe meadows near Vockerode
Running time: 2010 - 2018
Occasion: The project has created conditions that will ensure the long-term preservation and development of the river landscape in the Middle Elbe region and in the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom.
Solution: Flood protection and nature conservation go hand in hand: the main measure of the project was the opening of the Gatzer Bergdeich dyke to create a 210-hectare floodplain. At the same time, the extensive floodplain landscape and the ecological condition of the watercourses were safeguarded. Floodplain forest and a floodplain flowering meadow were created. This resulted in an enhancement of preventive ecological flood protection. The former project area has also been made accessible to tourists by means of an approximately 4 km long floodplain path.
Partner: WWF Germany, LIFE+ project office "Elbauen bei Vockerode" in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt State Administration Office, Dessau-Wörlitz Cultural Foundation, Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Flood Protection and Water Management (LHW), Landgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt mbH, district of Wittenberg, municipality of Vockerode, Agrargenossenschaft Wörlitz, City of Dessau-Roßlau
Oranienbaum Heath grazing project
Project area: Middle Oranienbaum Heath
Running time: 2008 - 2011
Occasion: Oranienbaumer Heide was used for military purposes until 1992. The consequences were areas contaminated with ammunition, oil and fuel as well as scrap metal.
Solution: Despite - or perhaps because of - the military use, diverse habitats developed here in which rare animal and plant communities found a refuge. In order to secure and promote their development, a year-round pasture was established with partners from the region. Heck cattle and Konik horses now ensure that the landscape remains semi-open, i.e. free of woodland, and that the structural diversity of the herb layer is increased through grazing. Since the munitions were cleared in 2012, signposted paths can once again be used on foot or by bike.
Partner: Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ecotrophology and Agriculture, Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve, NABU Regional Association Köthen, Nature Foundation David, Primigenius - Köthener Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege gGmbH, Förder- und Landschaftspflegeverein "Mittelelbe" e.V., Bundesforstbetrieb "Mittelelbe", Federal Agency for Real Estate
Lower Saxony
EU-LIFE project "Alluvial amphibians - 301 ponds in Lower Saxony" - sub-project to safeguard the population of the fire-bellied toad
Subproject area: Lower Saxony Elbe Valley Biosphere Reserve
Running time: 2016 - 2024
Occasion: The decline in amphibians is serious in Central and Northern Europe. This also affects the fire-bellied toad. In the biosphere reserve "Niedersächsische Elbtalaue" it reaches the north-western edge of its Eurasian range and is "threatened with extinction". More than 98 % of the population in Lower Saxony lives in the biosphere reserve. However, as in the parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg, the population here has also declined sharply in recent years. The aim of the project entitled "301 ponds in Lower Saxony" is to improve and develop the habitats not only for the fire-bellied toad, but also for the rare tree frog and the crested newt in eleven project areas in central and eastern Lower Saxony.
Solution: Based on a management plan, numerous measures were implemented to improve the habitat of the fire-bellied toad, such as the creation and restoration of 130 small bodies of water, the construction of 14 km of fencing and the extensive grazing of around 90 hectares of land in Lower Saxony. The project was also extended to areas in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. The genetics of the fire-bellied toad populations in Lower Saxony were also investigated as a basis for population management measures. Against this background, around 20,000 fire-bellied toads were bred for reintroduction into restored habitats. The project was accompanied by extensive educational and public relations measures.
Partner: NABU Landesverband Niedersachsen (Lead Partner), Biosphere Reserve Administration Niedersächsische Elbtalaue, Biosphere Reserve Office Schaalsee-Elbe, Biosphere Reserve Administration Flusslandschaft Elbe - Brandenburg and Amphi International. The project was funded by: European Union from the LIFE Nature program; State of Lower Saxony with funds from the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection; districts of Celle, Lüchow-Dannenberg, Lüneburg, Uelzen, Hanover region; cities of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg; Lower Saxony Bingo Environmental Foundation; Volkswagen AG.
Cooperative floodplain management in the "Niedersächsische Elbtalaue" biosphere reserve
Project area: Lower Saxony Elbe Valley Biosphere Reserve
Running time: 2016 until June 2023
Occasion: As a result of the extreme flood events of the past 20 years, the shape and structure of the Elbe floodplain and its significance for flood runoff have become the subject of regional public discourse. On the basis of two-dimensional runoff modeling, bottlenecks and other obstacles, especially wooded areas, that could impede flood runoff in the floodplain were identified. In order to improve flood runoff at these bottlenecks, some woody plants were cut back for the first time in 2014/15 and then left to their own devices. Over the course of a few years, dense bushes with a potentially higher flood resistance than before their removal developed.
Solution: To solve the problem, cooperation structures ("floodplain management associations") were established in the four sub-regions of the biosphere reserve to network the institutions involved in the maintenance, management and development of the Elbe floodplains. They are made up of representatives from flood protection and nature conservation, agriculture and regional development. In particular, these networks also looked for approaches to dealing with the willow stands that had developed as a result of the pruning in 2014/15. The focus was on how these areas could be kept free of woody plants in the future. To this end, they were either mechanically maintained over several years or grazed with various animal species (cattle, sheep, goats, horses). Grazing proved to be particularly environmentally friendly compared to machine maintenance.
The results of the project are an important contribution to the medium-term development of near-natural floodplain management, which combines forward-looking flood protection with the sustainable protection and use of valuable grassland and alluvial forest areas. The established floodplain management associations have proven to be a sensible approach for integrating key players in comprehensive floodplain management.
Partner: Lower Saxony Elbe floodplain biosphere administration, Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture - Uelzen district office, farmers' association of north-eastern Lower Saxony. The project was funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the state of Lower Saxony.
Brandenburg
Large-scale nature conservation project "Lenzen dyke relocation"
Subproject area: Lenzener Elbtalaue in the north-west of Brandenburg, Prignitz district, part of the Elbe-Brandenburg River Landscape Biosphere Reserve.
Running time: 1992 - 2022 (initial ideas until evaluation)
Occasion: The narrow section of the Elbe at the "Bösen Ort" considerably reduced the flood discharge width, which posed a high risk potential. The aim was to improve flood safety and at the same time restore the natural dynamics of the floodplain landscape.
Solution: By relocating the dyke by up to 1.3 km, 420 ha of new floodplain was created. The measures included the initial planting of alluvial forest, the creation of flood troughs and flood channels and the development of a 30-hectare meadow landscape. This floodplain landscape now serves as an important habitat for numerous animal and plant species.
Partner: Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz e.V. (BUND), Biosphere Reserve Administration Flusslandschaft Elbe-Brandenburg, European Center for Floodplain Ecology, Environmental Education and Visitor Information (Lenzen Castle)
Mechanisms of ecosystem services of hardwood floodplain forests: Scientific analysis and optimization through conservation management
Project area: Study areas along 150 kilometers of river in the UNESCO Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve.
Running time: 2017 - 2023
Occasion: Hardwood alluvial forests are among the most endangered habitats in Germany. These unique ecosystems not only offer high biodiversity, but also play an important role in climate and flood protection. These habitats are severely affected by human intervention and climate change.
Solution: The MediAN project investigated the mechanisms of carbon storage and flood retention in hardwood floodplain forests. The focus was on scientific analyses of biodiversity, soil and water processes as well as strategies for the restoration and sustainable use of these ecosystems. The results were directly incorporated into nature conservation management and educational projects.
Partner: Biosphere administrations of the federal states, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), BUND-Auenzentrum, University of Hamburg, Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Technical University of Berlin, Loki Schmidt Foundation.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Conservation measures on inland dunes
Project area: Inland dunes Klein Schmölen and Gothmann
Running time: 2021 - 2025
Occasion: The Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve M-V is home to inland dune sites of supra-regional importance in the Klein Schmölen and Gothmann areas. Open inland dunes and the flora and fauna typical of these sites are highly endangered throughout Europe. In particular, the abandonment of traditional forms of use and increasing nutrient input from the atmosphere are leading to a change in the composition of the vegetation and to a decline in species that are particularly typical of the site and rare.
Solution: Measures to preserve the open inland dunes, which are highly endangered throughout Europe, include woodland management and ploughing off the grassy topsoil on selected sites. Other measures include the suppression of invasive species such as cactus moss and the implementation of grazing concepts to keep the inland dunes open.
Partner: Forestry authority, landowner, Förderverein Biosphäre Elbe MV e.V. and Schaalsee-Elbe Biosphere Reserve Office
