Protect and develop
The UNESCO Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve is a special protected area.
This is one of the last large, natural river floodplains on the Elbe.
Many different animal and plant species live in this landscape.
Some of them are very rare or endangered.
People have lived on the Elbe for centuries.
In the process, they have shaped the landscape.
The result is a special mixture of natural and cultural landscape.
The three main tasks of biosphere reserves
- Protection
- We protect animals, plants and their habitats.
- We make sure that water, soil and air remain clean.
- We preserve the special cultural landscapes.
- Sustainable development
- We promote environmentally friendly agriculture and business.
- We try out new, environmentally friendly technologies.
- We support products from the region that are good for the environment.
- We promote low-impact tourism that does not harm nature.
- Education and research
- We explain what a sustainable life can look like.
- We show people nature so that they can understand it better.
- We conduct research into nature, the environment and the economy.
- We observe nature and the environment over a long period of time.
The picture shows two people maintaining the landscape.
They cut the grass with brushcutters.
This keeps meadows open for rare plants and animals.
In a biosphere reserve, people and nature work together.
Division into zones
Core zone:
Here we leave nature alone. Nature can develop freely.
Care zone:
Here we look after important landscapes and preserve them through careful maintenance.
Development zone:
People live and work here. We make sure that the economy is environmentally friendly and that nature remains protected.
The administrations of the biosphere reserves work together with many partners.
The aim is to protect nature and at the same time enable people to live a good life.
Nature conservation projects
We carry out various nature conservation projects in the maintenance and development zone.
We show you pictures so that you can get an idea of the work.
Overall concept for River Elbe
In 2017, two federal ministries and ten federal states adopted a joint concept.
This concept is called the "Overall Elbe Concept".
The aim is to combine the use of the Elbe as a waterway with the protection of nature.
The Elbe River Landscape Working Group is responsible for nature conservation.
The biosphere reserve administrations work closely with the authorities responsible for flood protection.
Together, they plan and implement many measures to ensure that flood protection and nature conservation go well together.
Many hydraulic engineering projects are currently being implemented on the Elbe in order to preserve nature and still enable good use of the Elbe.
The picture shows the Havel with its many arms of water.
The river flows through green meadows and floodplains.
A small town with red roofs lies on the shore.
Here the Havel is given more space to protect nature.