Ecological landscape management and biodiversity promotion

Small Area, Great Diversity

The area is characterized by its diversity of natural habitats and its terraced landscape. Although the area is small (7 ha), this mosaic-like landscape is home to pastures and extensively managed meadows as well as hedgerows, dry stone walls, isolated trees, wetlands, and wooded areas.

 

Challenges

However, this valuable landscape is becoming increasingly rare. Managing and maintaining these diverse areas is often time-consuming and demanding. At the same time, there is a growing lack of time and financial resources to preserve these structures.

If the areas are not regularly maintained, various developments can impair their ecological and scenic quality:

1. Scrub encroachment and overgrowth
   Open areas become overgrown, and valuable habitats are lost.
2. Drought stress and heavy rainfall
   Increasing weather extremes are putting pressure on plants, soils, and habitats.
3. Intensification of agriculture
   More intensive land use can lead to a loss of diverse structures and habitats.
4. Trash and old, overgrown fences
   Abandoned structures and infrastructure that is no longer needed detract from the landscape and can pose hazards to animals.

 

Vision

Through targeted maintenance and enhancement measures, we are contributing—as part of the LBB project (Landscape Conservation, Civil Protection, Biodiversity)—to preserving the valuable habitats in this area, ecologically connecting the landscape, ensuring its long-term diversity, and supporting agricultural production.

• Landscape Conservation: Ecological landscape conservation and extensive management of natural and cultivated areas
• Civil Protection: Reducing fire risk and implementing sustainable management regimes
• Biodiversity: Preservation of existing valuable habitats and creation of new biotopes

 

What does this mean in practice?

We focus on concrete measures that enhance habitats, preserve the landscape, and simultaneously promote knowledge and engagement:

• Extensive grazing: Maintaining valuable pastures with Galloway cattle and Blacknose sheep.
• Landscape stewardship through engagement: hedge and forest maintenance, cleanup efforts, removal of overgrown fences that pose a danger to wildlife, installation of wooden posts, and control of invasive neophytes—in collaboration with civil service workers and volunteers.
• Sharing and passing on knowledge: Courses and educational programs on topics such as water management, environmental project management, mapping valuable trees, and the “Water Heroes” school program.
• Creating new habitats: The creation of four ponds has provided valuable new habitats for amphibians, insects, and other species.
• Enhancing existing areas: An old landfill was remediated and transformed into a species-rich hay meadow.
• Using water sustainably: The HydroMontania pilot project is being tested in the area and is intended to serve as a model for needs-based irrigation in agriculture in the future.

Learn more about the levels of the “Life Network” – Ecological Infrastructure here.