Good news for biodiversity on the Saar:
Saarland’s regional development company LEG Saar, the Saarland Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection, Mobility, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (MUKMAV), and the Saarland hunting association VJS are now working together to reinforce their commitment to biodiversity: the state-wide ‘Saarland Artenreich’ (‘Species-Rich Saarland’) project sees them joining forces to raise awareness of the vital topic that is biodiversity and to contribute even further to creating species-rich landscapes. Environmental minister Petra Berg, LEG Saar’s CEO Valentin Holzer and state huntsman Josef Schneider signed a cooperation agreement to this end.
Minister Petra Berg said: ‘This cooperation agreement is a key step in creating biodiversity in these agricultural areas. LEG Saar and VJS are valued partners for us to create local acceptance regarding the development of floral landscapes and work with farmers to implement this. That is how species protection works – collaborating on a local level, to benefit humans and nature.’
To give just one example, within three years from 2018 to 2021, the total number of registered bird species in these project areas increased from 38 to 75. This is very pleasing and shows that our joint efforts to boost biodiversity with habitat improvements for wild animals are paying off.
LEG Saar is managing the project as the administrative office. Valentin Holzer: ‘As a regional development company, we set great store by environmental sustainability, in order to ensure that we preserve our diverse, beautiful flora and fauna for future generations. Working together with farmers, hunters, companies and municipalities, we want to continue showcasing the vital topic that is biodiversity. I am delighted with our collaborations with our partners, and particularly the newly created habitats and a species-rich Saarland.’
Josef Schneider added the Saar hunters’ perspective: ‘We support species conservation projects across the state and are delighted to play our part as Saar hunters – because hunting means more than just sustainably obtaining a high-quality, healthy foodstuff. Instead, hunting serves first and foremost to preserve nature, and thus meets a key social requirement of the modern world.’
The ‘Saarland Artenreich’ project…
The ‘Saarland Artenreich’ project promotes native species. It is helping to create, preserve and strengthen biodiversity in Saarland. In practice, this means providing suitable areas and sowing species-rich, local seeds to preserve the existence of as many plant and animal species as possible.
…And how it works
Working with hunters from the region, farmers and municipalities, areas are identified that are particularly suitable for creating flowered landscapes with a wealth of insect life. Participating landowners are provided with a special regional ‘habitat seed mixture’, consisting of numerous different wild flowers and crop plants, free of charge. After sowing, they commit to setting the land aside for the next three years.
The resulting flowered areas (at least 21 metres wide) offer food and protection for numerous species, starting with wild bees and other insects but also including pheasants, wild hares, countless endangered field-dwelling birds and more. They should contain at least three different plant types arranged in strips (field borders, flowered areas, non-dense arable areas, optional protective grass strips, optional protected strips, optional open area). The strip arrangement will recreate structures that existed for centuries in small-scale farming, and provided ideal habitats for ground-nesting species.
The seeds are provided by local hunters, who serve as the link between the project partners and the landowners. The project has an annual budget of 35,000 euros.
As well as seeded areas, other areas that have been left to their own devices for years can also play a key role as habitat strips, especially as using seeds can only have a limited effect and may otherwise also exclude vital species and developments.
It is important keep an eye on methods and developments, and also to provide technical support for future success.
What has been achieved so far
The current project arose out of a combination of LEG Saar’s two previous ‘Saarland Artenreich’ initiatives and the ‘Artenreiche Kulturlandschaft Saarlouis’ (‘Species-Rich Cultivated Landscape Saarlouis’) project by MUKMAV and VJS. Across Saarland and working in conjunction with VJS and their hunters, various municipalities, farmers and other local landowners have already transformed a total area of 250 to 300 hectares into species-rich habitats.
For the previous LEG Saar project, this specifically means that within two years, more than 60 hectares of new floral landscapes were created across all Saar districts. In 2022, the company used the seeds distributed to create 34 hectares of new habitat areas, thus ensuring similar growth to in the previous years. These areas were established in Heusweiler, Illingen, Losheim am See, Nohfelden, Obertal, Marpingen, Tholey, Nonnweiler, Eppelborn, Wallerfangen and Lebach. Seeding last year used the ‘Habitat 1’ mixture of varieties (particularly suitable for insects, birds and small game including roe deer), clover, sunflowers and a mixture of annuals. So far, an average of 20 hunting districts have participated in the ‘Artenreiche Kulturlandschaft Saarlouis’ initiative by the Ministry of the Environment and VJS. This also saw a total of around 250 hectares of sample habitat areas being created in different natural environments in the district of Saarlouis.
