Wild and Beautiful Freyunger Straße 2 Stubbenkammer 2 a Im Forst 5 94481 Grafenau 18546 Sassnitz 18375 Born Tel
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NATIONAL PARKS IN GERMANY Wild and beautiful Freyunger Straße 2 Stubbenkammer 2 a Im Forst 5 94481 Grafenau 18546 Sassnitz 18375 Born Tel. 08552 9600-0, Fax -100 Tel. 038392 350-11, Fax -54 Tel. 038234 502-0, Fax -24 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.nationalpark-bayerischer-wald.de www.nationalpark-jasmund.de www.nationalpark-vorpommersche- boddenlandschaft.de Doktorberg 6 Laustraße 8 83471 Berchtesgaden 34537 Bad Wildungen Schlossgarten 1 Tel. 08652 9686-0, Fax -40 Tel. 05621 75249-0, Fax -19 25832 Tönning [email protected] info@nationalpark- Tel. 04861 616-0, Fax -69 www.nationalpark-berchtesgaden.de kellerwald-edersee.de [email protected] www.nationalpark-kellerwald- www.nationalpark-wattenmeer.de edersee.de Urftseestraße 34 Schloßplatz 3 Stadthausbrücke 8 53937 Schleiden-Gemünd 17237 Hohenzieritz 20355 Hamburg Tel. 02444 9510-0, Fax -85 Tel. 039824 252-0, Fax -50 Tel. 040 42840-3392, Fax -3552 [email protected] [email protected] www.nationalpark-wattenmeer.de www.nationalpark-eifel.de www.mueritz-nationalpark.de Bei der Marktkirche 9 An der Elbe 4 99947 Bad Langensalza 01814 Bad Schandau Virchowstraße 1 Tel. 03603 3907-0, Fax -20 Tel. 035022 900-600, Fax -666 26382 Wilhelmshaven [email protected] poststelle.sbs-nationalparkverwaltung@ Tel. 04421 911-0, Fax -280 www.nationalpark-hainich.de smul.sachsen.de poststelle@nlpv-wattenmeer. www.nationalpark-saechsische- niedersachsen.de schweiz.de www.nationalpark-wattenmeer.de www.nationalpark-wattenmeer- erleben.de Lindenallee 35 Park 2 38855 Wernigerode 16303 Schwedt / Oder, OT Criewen Tel. 03943 5502-0, Fax -37 Tel. 03332 2677-0, Fax -220 [email protected] [email protected] www.nationalpark-harz.de www.nationalpark-unteres- odertal.eu 5 Preamble Prof. Dr. Beate Jessel President of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation 6 Interview: Wilderness in Germany ? Where can you find it ? Karl Friedrich Sinner 8 National Parks in Germany 3 Content National Parks 10 Bavarian Forest 14 Berchtesgaden 18 Eifel 22 Hainich 26 Harz 30 Jasmund 34 Kellerwald-Edersee 38 Müritz 42 Saxon Switzerland 46 Lower Oder Valley National Park 50 Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park 54 Schleswig Holstein Wadden Sea Hamburg Wadden Sea Lower Saxony Wadden Sea 68 The National Natural Landscapes of Germany – all under one umbrella 71 Publishing information 4 Preamble National Parks are 5 nature’s treasure troves National Parks are in many ways a mirror of a One of the central tasks of a future-oriented country’s best natural features and, therefore, a policy is to preserve these treasures as part of the particular focus of public perception. The ‘tradi- natural heritage of our country for future genera- tion of National Parks’ in Germany is relatively tions. This means that in addition to a more thor- new. However, it can already look back on 40 years. ough identification and implementation of highly- In 1970 the Bavarian Forest National Park became protected core zones in the existing National Parks, the first German National Park. The National one must think about where more National Parks Parks received a special boost with the so-called could be established in Germany. This is particu- ‘National Park Programme’ in the former GDR in larly necessary in order to achieve one of the main 1990. Nowadays, the 14 designated National Parks goals of the National Biodiversity Strategy, namely in Germany have not only found respect and ac- to establish 2 % of Germany’s land area as wilder- ceptance in vast circles of the population but are ness areas by 2020. So far, this target has only been also characterised by the high added-value they achieved partially, with a much greater potential have brought to the respective regions. Current still awaiting its fulfilment. studies, sponsored by the BfN (Federal Agency for For over 100 years, nature conservation has Nature Conservation), show that National Parks – been the responsibility of the German government, with their approximately 10.5 million National and should remain this way. Nevertheless, in order Park tourists, defined in a fairly narrow sense, gen- to preserve and develop our national nature herit- erate annually an additional revenue of approxi- age, as well as to keep our fellow-citizens informed mately € 431 million in revenue. This equates to about the current developments and processes in the equivalent of 14,000 incomes. The population the areas, it remains important that National Park increasingly recognises that this offers opportuni- Authorities remain well-staffed, well-financed and ties and that they can be proud of their heritage. In stay close to the people. As for the future, I can as- this respect, National Parks are a success story for sure of the continued active support from the Fed- nature conservation. An important contribution eral Agency for Nature Conservation for the very to this success is a common brand for all the parks many tasks of our National Parks. in that they use different versions of the same um- brella brand established by the EUROPARC Ger- many’s ‘National Natural Landscapes’. These achievements are largely due to the es- tablishment of independent regional authorities by the respective federal states and to the strong commitment by its staff. National Park Authorities Prof. Dr. Beate Jessel carry out a wide range of tasks. This not only in- President of the cludes the immediate protection of the biodiversity Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and the regional management but also research and (Bundesamt für Naturschutz – Bf N) monitoring, environmental education and commu- nication of the experience of nature, active public- ity work as well as close cooperation with various parties on site. 6 Wilderness in Germany? Where can you find it ? Wilderness simply means to ‘let nature be nature’, and this exactly is the golden rule governing all the fourteen National Parks in Germany. In these places, nature is allowed to develop untrammeled – free from human interference. Karl Friedrich Sinner is the managing director of the Bavarian Forest National Park and Chairman of the Board of EUROPARC Germany and thus the expert for all questions regarding wilderness areas in Germany. What successes have been achieved in recent years in the core areas ? In the Bavarian Forest National Park, nature is In the areas in the National Parks where wilder- allowed to follow its own ness is developing, there is a noticeable increase in immutable laws of living biodiversity and dynamic developments in nature, and dying, of growth, which turn out to be quite different from our tra- decay and rebirth into a vast forest wilderness. ditional notions of preserving species and habitat One usually associates wilderness with areas like the protection. Many extremely endangered mosses, Amanzone rainforest, Siberia or the Serengeti. Can fungi, insects, birds as well as amphibians, mam- one really find wilderness in Germany ? mals and fish have benefited from this develop- ment. Even species that were considered lost or The central regions in the fourteen German Na- extinct can now be found in the core zones of the tional Parks offer a great variety of wilderness. National Parks. They are called ‘core zones’. Mountain streams and avalanche tracks, the spruce-rich wild forests of the From your perspective, where does the future of National Parks, the ancient native deciduous for- German National Parks lie ? ests of National Parks in Central Germany, river and coastal landscapes – all of them contain within We need to continue along the same route. 40 years 7 them wilderness today. of the Bavarian Forest National Park and 100 years of National Parks in Europe show that National Can wilderness be defined ? Parks are crucial for society and nature. As a core element of the National Natural Landscapes, they Wilderness cannnot be narrowly defined. It is are essential for preserving the treasure trove of something very personal that people feel at the our country’s natural heritage in the world-wide sight of untouched nature but it can experienced network of National Parks and to raise awareness. in its full diversity and vibrancy. Wilderness needs Wilderness is, after all, a crucial component of the space, needs freedom from the effects of civilisation Federal government’s Biodiversity Strategy. 2 % of and is also a place where we humans have to behave the whole country’s area should become wilderness responsibly. again whereas currently we have only reached ap- proximately 0.5 %. Why is wilderness so important for Germany ? Recent studies have shown that the core areas of the National Parks are hot spots of biodiversity; they provide us with a first impression of what natural biodiversity means for our country. Un- touched wilderness, with its highly differentiated development phases, provides us with important insights into the right CO₂ balance and CO₂ bonding. Furthermore, in water conservation ar- eas where there is no fishing we can marvel at the former abundance available in the seas and oceans. To be in touch again with wilderness is also one of the profound experiences humans can have when encountering nature. Wilderness is an experience of genesis for people – adventure, myth, fairy-tale worlds, an encounter with a wild beauty and the forces of nature. The slogan ‘let nature be nature’ is a fundamental principle of the National Parks. How large is the Karl Friedrich Sinner, proportion of untouched wilderness in the National director of the Bavarian Forest National Park and Parks ? board member of EUROPARC Germany, the umbrella Currently, the proportions vary greatly because organisation of the National some National Parks are not very old. All National Natural Landscapes. Parks strive to achieve 75 % of their areas as un- touched nature, newly emerging wilderness. By the way: it is a commonly-held misundestanding that people are not allowed to enter the core areas of the National Parks.