Dömitz/Schwerin (dpa/mv) – According to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Environment and Agriculture Minister Till Backhaus (SPD), the designation and design of the central Elbe valley as a UNESCO biosphere reserve has proven to be a great success. “This comprehensive integration of a large river floodplain ecosystem into a biosphere reserve, crossing five federal state borders, is unique in Germany,” said Backhaus on Friday in Dömitz (Ludwigslust-Parchim district) on the occasion of a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the protected area.
There have been numerous renaturation and nature conservation projects along the Elbe and its tributaries. “In no other biosphere reserve have so many large-scale nature conservation projects been carried out as here,” emphasized the SPD politician. In addition to nature protection, flood protection was often improved as a result.
At the end of 1997, the international biosphere reserve “Flusslandschaft Elbe” was recognized by Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It stretches over 400 kilometers along the Middle Elbe, covers 282,250 hectares and, according to Backhaus, is the largest inland biosphere reserve in Germany. On the occasion of the anniversary, the states of Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein signed an agreement to ensure that “this unique biotope” is preserved together in the future.
According to the conviction of Brandenburg’s Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens), something has been achieved on the Elbe that is second to none: “The establishment of a new floodplain forest as part of Germany’s largest dike relocation.” He witnessed the implementation at the “bad place” near Lenzen. “It’s still impressive today how nature has taken back the space,” said Vogel, according to the announcement. The region has become a “biodiversity hotspot” and thus also a popular destination for nature lovers.
The Elbe river landscape shows how nature conservation can become a model for success across state borders, explained Saxony-Anhalt’s State Secretary for the Environment, Steffen Eichner (SPD). Large retreat areas for many valuable animal and plant species have emerged on the Elbe, which must be preserved.
Lower Saxony’s Environment Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) recalled that a wide range of interests had to be taken into account. “That’s another reason why I’m grateful for the Unesco biosphere reserve and the working group of countries that make cooperation and exchange possible,” he said. According to State Secretary for the Environment Katja Günther (Greens) from Schleswig-Holstein, the typical river and floodplain structures of the Elbe offer plants and animals valuable shelter and habitats in the midst of a centuries-old cultural landscape. “In this way, the biosphere reserve makes a valuable contribution to the preservation of biological diversity and to the preservation of a unique habitat and cultural area,” she said.
