Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve
IUCN Category IV - Habitat-/Species Management Area
Heath in the nature reserve at Niederhaverbeck
The nature reserve Lueneburg Heath is one of the oldest and largest conservation areas in Germany and the oldest and largest conservation area in Lower Saxony. On 29 December 1921, the territory of the Lüneburg Heath of four square miles of the Prussian government was declared a national park for the first time.
The area of the nature reserve Lueneburg Heath also said region was carried out prior to the 2007 enlargement of the natural park Lüneburg Heath identical to this one.
Area Description
The nature reserve is located in the northern part of the Lüneburg Heath. To the north it borders on Hanstedt, to the east by Egestorf, to the south and to the west by Schneverdingen Bispingen. The center is the Wilseder mountain, a Endmoränenzug 169.2 m above sea level, the highest elevation in the northwest German lowlands.
In 1900 the great heaths were converted to forest or farmland. 1922 21.000 hectares have been designated as a nature reserve. In 1993, the area was expanded to 23,440 ha. On 14 February 2007, the formerly same with the nature reserve area of the nature park was expanded to 113,000 hectares.
The counties Heidekreis and Harburg are responsible as the lower nature conservation authorities for the area.
Flora and Fauna
In the nature reserve of over 60 % forest, 26 % heath, 8.5% of arable land, grassland 3%, 2% and 1.5% Moore settlements, water, etc. Here are 5,100 ha of dry sand heaths. It is the largest contiguous residues midland dwarf shrubs in Central Europe. In addition, one finds in the nature reserve spacious coniferous forests, mainly of pine. This goes back to pagan afforestation from the mid-19th century. It has next to small stocks of older deciduous forests of oak and beech. The high proportion of forest makes the nature reserve Lueneburg Heath at the same time one of the largest forest conservation areas in Germany. Next, there are stream valleys, moors, meadows, pastures, fields and open sandy areas.
The area is of outstanding importance for the habitat and species protection. In September 2007, the first time a wolf was near Niederhaverbeck, community Bispingen, spotted, which presumably comes from the South Heath Nature Park. The total natural area Lüneburg Heath hosted 2004 most grouse of Lower Saxony .. The results of the Birkhuhnzählung can have recorded a positive development in recent years.
Population trends of black grouse in the nature reserve Lueneburg Heath
Attractions in the nature reserve
In Wilsede one of the oldest open-air museums in Germany and in 1907 shifted here Heidemuseum " Dat ole Huus " can be visited. In the house is to see how the " Heidjer " lived around 1900 and worked. In addition, the heath Totengrund, old pagan churches in Egestorf and Undeloh, the nature of information homes in Döhle, Niederhaverbeck and Undeloh and Pietzmoor to Schneverdingen are the Emhof in Wilsede, worth seeing. One finds in the nature reserve of Bronze Age burial mounds, historic trails, boundary markers, boulder walls, old sheep pens and stair storage.
In the nature reserve Lueneburg Heath especially the grazing of moorland and Machinery care measures such as mowing or sod and the controlled use of fire to be carried out during the winter months to heath care. These measures provide the necessary rejuvenation of the heather. The strong pine approach must be combated by regular Entkusselung. To protect the landscape and the animal and plant world is considered, with the exception of two, the area by crossing routes, a general motor vehicle ban.
Initiators
The Egestorfer Pastor Wilhelm Bode already acquired 1906 Heath area, the dead ground. This was made possible through a donation of 6000 gold marks the University professor Andreas Thomsen from Münster. In 1909 he founded the club in Munich Nature Park Association ( VNP ). This he had set itself the goal to operate along the lines of America's national parks over a large area conservation. He wanted to preserve the heath in the core of today's Lüneburg Heath Nature Park in farmland from development, reforestation or break. In 1910 he became active in northern Germany with the acquisition of Wilseder mountain. Today, the association national park has more than 8,200 ha in the Lüneburg Heath, another almost 1,100 ha are being leased long term. In January 1954, the Hamburg merchant Alfred Toepfer became chairman of the association. The association national park he was a member since 1927. Thanks Toepfer good connections in politics, economics and foreign conservation organizations important projects were implemented. Your founding father Alfred Toepfer in honor of the former North German Academy for Nature Conservation (NNA ) was in 1995 renamed Academy for Nature Conservation in Alfred Toepfer.
Problems with military
A particular problem was the military exercise operation in the southwestern half of the reserve, which had to be accepted with permanent loads as a direct result of the war. As of November 1950, British and Canadian troops Reinsehlen used to Schneverdingen as a base for anti-tank exercises in the "red land". The Soltau -Lüneburg Agreement was concluded in 1959 between the Federal Republic of Germany, the UK and Canada, and determined the limits of the tank training area. West of the road Behringen - Wintermoor the extent of the devastation was seen by Allied tracked vehicles. Proposals of the Association Conservation Park Association ( VNP ), the tank training operation to relocate to the neighboring 102 km ² Truppenübungsplatz Munster -Nord remained unheard. Instead, it was more practiced at 17 km ² most valuable heathland. In the area of Lüneburg - Celle- Soltau, there were more total of 598 km ² military training area, including the military training area mountains, on which one could escape. The Canadians pulled off again after a short time, British troops remained until 1994.