Land acquisition project: Finowtal Nature Reserve
Brandenburg

Where large quantities of water on the meadows means the best protection for meadow birds

Landscape type (Biotope)

The Finowtal-Pregnitzfliess nature reserve established in 2006 in the Barnim Nature Park, district of Barnim, Brandenburg, with a total area of around 1,821.0 ha, includes an ice-age glacier tongue basin surrounded by inland dunes and an ice-age meltwater drainage channel with numerous fen formations. The nature reserve also extends to areas in the communities of Biesenthal, Schorfheide and Wandlitz.

Threat factors

In the Drawienski National Park on the Polish side of the border, and in the Barnim Nature Park on the German side, the catchment areas of the Drawa, the Nonnenfliess, the Finow and the Pregnitzfliess still represent the ecologically most valuable river catchment areas due to their faunistic and floristic features.

However, the countryside water balance is unsettled in large parts of the Polish and German catchment area of the River Oder. Human settlement intervention in the natural landscape shaped by the Ice Age has caused long-term damage to the natural countryside functions of fens and water bodies on both sides of the Oder.

Critical ecological parameters such as the continuity of the watercourses, water retention, the richness of landscape structures and biodiversity have been changed adversely and, despite being under protection, are still a threat to the future of many already endangered animal species.

The reasons for and the aims of conservation

• Conservation and development of the area as a habitat or retreat and potential re-dispersal centre for wild animal species such as Elbe Beavers, the Eurasian Otter, Copper butterflies and small river mussels, as well as fish such as Spined Loach and European Bullhead, which are particularly tied to running and standing water, invertebrates and insects, amphibians, reptiles and mammals tied to wetlands and aquatic biotopes, as well as breeding, resting and feeding areas for birds of prey, waders, waterfowl and songbirds, including numerous specially and strictly protected species within the meaning of Section 10, Paragraph 2, Nos. 10 and 11 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, in particular Daubenton's Bat, Sedge Warbler, Common Kingfisher, Black and White Storks, Corncrake, Black Woodpecker, Common Snipe, Savi's Warbler, Grass Snake and Sand Lizard.
• Preservation, development and restoration of the Finow and Pregnitz streams as meandering, summer-cool lowland waters, largely unaffected by inputs and with their natural flowing water dynamics including headwaters with spring bogs and spring meadows.
• Preservation and development of location-typical, structurally-rich mixed woodland.
• Due to its special character, the preservation and development of the richly-structured, extensively used cultural landscape.
• Preservation and restoration of a bog-typical water household to regenerate the numerous bog formations such as flow-through, silted-up and spring bogs.

Ecological restoration goals

As part of the ecological restoration of partial catchment areas of the River Oder, including copying the example of the Finow and Pregnitz streams to recognise and significantly reduce ecological deficits in the catchment areas through targeted measures. In this way, one of the main objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive, Articles 1 and 4, and the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive 92/43/EC of May 21, 1992 could be met.

Our project commitment

Based on a cooperation agreement with the Barnim Nature Park Administration, we decided in 2009 to support the realisation of the ecological restoration of the River Finow, to secure and strengthen the diversity of wild animal species through extensive land purchases in the Finowtal in the Biesenthal district.

Since autumn 2009, we have been regularly involved in land purchases, which, after the transfer of ownership, enable us to have a constructive influence on the future use of the countryside and thus achieve natural landscape development in line with the ecological restoration goals for the River Finow and the Finowtal.

With our biotope-friendly extensive use of the fen meadows as hay meadows, with the earliest mowing date at the end of June each year, and the partial damming of ditches, we are helping to revitalize the fen area.

We practice process protection on the forest areas that we own and, with the new planting of juniper heath areas on the sandy, dry edge dune crests near the Wehrmühle, our aim is to in the furure end the previous pressure of use on the areas which are still leased and create a new habitat for the biodiversity of dry heath biotopes.

Our long-term project goal in the Finowtal is the purchase and ownership of up to 240 ha of wet grassland, fen meadows, alder marsh and hillside dune woodland.

Dominant Species (Fauna/Flora)

Common Crane, White and Black Stork, Corncrake, Marsh Harrier, Common Snipe, Daubenton's Bat, European Beaver, Eurasian Otter, Grass Snake, Sand Lizard

Your donation enables the purchase of further ecologically-valuable plots of land.