Living along a river “By thoughts, which have not risen from acting nature and which do not beneficially work towards acting life, mankind is only helped a bit.” Goethe, Maxims and Reflections Abb. links: Walleiche INTRODUCTION | 3 Riverside Woodland in the Steckby-Lödderitz Forest Living along a river Unique landscape of Middle Elbe – Biosphere Reserve since 1979 Big rivers divide and connect. At all ing water, floodways, inland dunes and Middle-Elbe-Biosphere-Reserve, which times, people have settled along river- marsh areas. Riverside woodlands form was one of the oldest in whole Germany banks, rivers have been trading routes, the landscape; the largest contiguous and which is presently one of 15 German energy has been created from water hardwood riverside woodlands in Cen- UNESCO-Biosphere Reserves in total. power and food has been obtained from tral Europe can be found here. The land- Biosphere Reserves do not only focus on water. Also today, the Elbe-River is an scape of the Elbe-River is also evidence environmental protection. Man and the element of sustained creation of value for the work of former settlers, home sustained utilization of the man-made in the region, in tourism, in the field of for present inhabitants, the basis for landscape is the linchpin of all ideas and nature conservation and environmental land use, sanctuaries for nature lovers, a projects. protection and also as a federal water source of inspiration of artists and space street in international goods traffic. for the manifold lives along the river. At the same time, one of the last nature- Man and man-made landscape oriented river landscapes extends along The current publication was published the riverbanks, a special landscape of riv- in 2009, the year of the German Bio- erside meadows with impressive richness sphere Reserve, on the occasion of the Abb. links: Walleiche of flora and fauna, with bodies of stand- 30th anniversary of the existence of the Photo on the left side: Riverside oak-tree 4 | MIDDLE ELBE BIOSPHERE RESERVE History at a glance • 18th / 19th century: Planning and reali- zation of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm according to the model of English country parks under Duke Leopold III Friedrich Franz von Anhalt-Dessau (1740–1817) • Already in the 1920s: Active nature conservation through allocating nature reserves and beaver sanctuaries along the middle part of the Elbe-River • Nature Reserve of „Steckby-Lödderitz Forest” (about 3,850 ha) in 1979 recog- nized by UNESCO as the first German Kapenschlösschen – The seat of the administration of the Biosphere Reserve Biosphere Reserve, afterwards incorpo- ration of further areas step by step Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve • 1988: Enlargement of the existing reserve by the 142-km²-wide man-made Protection and development with long tradition landscape of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm, since 2000 UNESCO-World Herit- age Site Nature-oriented courses of a river have chub, have their nursery grounds here. • 1990: Allocating large sanctuaries and become rare in Central Europe. The The UNESCO recognized the unique Decree of Biosphere Reserve “Middle Elbe-River flows through several Ger- landscape of the nature reserve of the Elbe” on 43,000 ha within the last days man Federal States on its way from the Steckby-Lödderitz Forest, which had of the former GDR, “Crown Jewels” of spring in the Czech Bohemian Moun- already been allocated as a sanctuary for German Unity tains to its mouth into the North Sea birds and beavers in 1929, as a Biosphere • 1993: Foundation of the non-profit- near Hamburg. It flows through the Reserve in November 1979. At the same making association for development Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt for 303 time, the Vessertal Biosphere Reserve and nature conversation of “Biosphären- river kilometres, through large floodplain (Thuringia) also received this award. reservat Mittlere Elbe e. V.”, which sup- meadows and forests, big cities and small ports project-related tasks in the Middle settlements. Chance and obligation Elbe Biosphere Reserve Also incorporated into the Middle-Elbe • 1997: UNESCO-recognition of the trans- Sanctuary of floodplain Biosphere Reserve was the historical national Biosphere Reserves of the The last contiguous hardwood riverside man-made landscape of the Dessau- river-landscape “Elbe” upon request of woodlands in Central Europe have sur- Wörlitz Garden Realm, a famous and 5 Elbe-Federal States, for Saxony-Anhalt vived along the Middle Elbe in the Fed- outstanding example for humanistically- it was also a further important enlarge- eral State of Saxony-Anhalt. A diversity embossed landscape design according to ment to the area presently spanning of rare plants and animals, such as dif- Horaz’s principle of “Combining beauty the whole course of the Elbe-River in ferent kinds of bats, the Great Capricorn with usefulness” (see page: Garden Saxony-Anhalt Beetle living on oak-trees, the Siberian Realm) • 2006: Recognition of the Middle Elbe Iris and the endangered Water Caltrop This ingenious context offers great pos- Biosphere Reserve in Saxony-Anhalt on (Singhara) find their ideal habitat here. sibilities and is also a big obligation. about 125,800 ha by the Saxony-Anhalt The Elbe-Beaver, nearly extinct at the Ministry of Environment beginning of the last century, has found a last sanctuary. In areas near shallow waters and the riverbanks, current-loving fishes, such as the barb and the European THE BIOSPHERE RESERVE AT A GLANCE | 5 Core zone Caring zone Development zone Protection and Utilization Model region for the cooperation between man and nature The special character of the Biosphere teristics, and last, but not least the pro- Reserve covers, besides conventional motion of environmentally-friendly and 3 Zones for nature conservation, also economic and socially-acceptable tourism support the sustained social working areas. development of the man-made landscape cohabitation in accordance with nature. Protection of the natural environment The area of the Biosphere Reserve is and of the biologic diversity Education for sustained development, divided into three zones, where human Protection, preservation and recreation research, monitoring influence is controlled in different ways. of natural and nature-oriented eco-sys- An important aspect of Biosphere tems of the characteristic floodplain with Reserves is the involving of the regional Core zone: No intervention into nature its floodplain meadows and forests, free- population. The development of sus- processes by man, nature is left to its own standing oak-trees, backwaters, inland tained living styles and kinds of busi- resources. Amount of area: around 3%. dunes as an irreplaceable living area ness in the framework of specific public for flora and fauna, is one of the main relation as well as practice-oriented Caring zone: Corresponds to the nature tasks within the Biosphere Reserve. The information and (environmental) educa- conservation areas (NCA) along the Elbe- protection of genetic resources is also tion conduce to this. Interdisciplinary River and its inflows; land- and water involved in this. The sustained utiliza- research in ecology, economy and sociol- utilization have to take up a subordinate tion of the natural goods like soil, air and ogy as well as monitoring environment role. There is a strict order to stay on des- water is a task of long-range importance play an important role, especially for the ignated ways and paths. in the light of global environmental prob- development of revaluation strategies for lems. These are tasks for generations. managing which have not been avertable Development zone: Summarizes the any longer consequences of the climate nature conservation areas and areas with- Development of a man-made landscape change. out protection status; intensively used The application of resource-saving tech- man-made landscape with agriculture nologies, the creation of regional value- and forestry, business, tourism and utiliza- added chains, as well as the gentle land tion for settlements. utilization considering regional charac- 6 | MIDDLE ELBE BIOSPHERE RESERVE Heck Cattle as landscape preservers, here in the landscape caring project of Oranienbaum Heath Living from landscape Model region for sustained cultivating – always worth a visit Already in the 1960s, it was realized Dessau-Wörlitz-man-made landscape, conflicts between beaver protection and and widely accepted that environmental the development and trial of model men. Regional economy profits by the problems, resulting from industrializa- examples for environmentally -friendly characteristics of the Biosphere Reserve tion and growing population, represent land utilization are seen as tasks within especially in tourism. The bicycle-track an immense challenge. For this reason, the Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve. along the Elbe-River, the Bauhaus school the UNESCO launched the program Special responsibility is borne by the in Dessau, towns like Wittenberg, called MAB („Men and Biosphere“) in administration of the Biosphere Reserve Coswig (Anhalt), Bitterfeld, Magdeburg, 1970. Internationally networked and at as a reference point of the country for Tangermünde and Havelberg, as well as the same time regionally positioned, con- the protection of beavers and therefore, the unique monastery of Jerichow attract cepts and programs based on the ideas of also as a contact partner for possible nature lovers and culturally interested the MAB-Program have been invented, proven and brought to life in over 550 recognized Biosphere Reserves world- wide, to leave generations a world in good order and worth living in. The develop- ment tasks are always centred in the context of business, culture, education, nature conservation as well as socioeco- nomic aspects. Important components of the European network of nature reserves called NATURA 2000 are centred in the Biosphere Reserve area. Besides preservation of area-typical diversity of species and styles of nature- oriented ecosystems in a central-Euro- pean river-valley floodplain and the maintenance of the world heritage of the The reaction ferry of Breitenhagen – silent, emission-free, environmentally friendly SUSTAINED CULTIVATING | 7 Meadow mowing people likewise.