Landscape Ecology and Biodiversity

For a flourishing Berchtesgadener Land

Over centuries, humans have created a cultural landscape in the Berchtesgadener Land that is home to more than 3,000 different species of animals and plants. Among the most species-rich areas in the region are the extensively managed meadows and pastures, moors or litter meadows, but also the naturally and near-naturally managed forests as well as bodies of water.

The effects of climate change, air pollution or the progressive extinction of species also take place within the biosphere region. Therefore, one focus of the Administration Office are projects and initiatives that serve the preservation of an extensive and structurally rich cultural landscape as well as the long-term protection of ecologically valuable habitats. This can only be achieved by working in cooperation with municipalities, farms, associations and other regional agencies.

Meadow habitat

Preserving and developing diversity

Biosphere Meadow Seeds

A species-rich meadow is home to 80-150 different types of grasses and herbs. This makes it a habitat and food source for more than 1000 different species of animals. Such meadows are not only ecologically highly valuable, they are also a cultural asset of our region. Since 2015, the Biosphere Region Administration Office, in cooperation with the Landscape Management Association and the Lower Nature Conservation Authority, has been harvesting species-rich meadows in the region in order to replant new areas with these valuable seeds together with municipalities, associations, companies, farmers or schools.

Create and care for a flowering meadow yourself

If you want to plant a species-rich, perennial flowering meadow with regional seed, you should take a few things into account: Compared to classic lawns or annual flowering mixtures, a perennial flowering meadow needs more time to develop and requires some maintenance in the early years. Here are a few tips to help you get it right from the start.

Pasture landscapes in the Surtal

The Sur is one of the defining rivers of the Biosphere Region. It flows in large loops in the north of the district from Teisendorf to Laufen, where it flows into the Salzach. It shaped the Surtal and created a floodplain landscape. Today the areas along the Sur are cultivated by farmers. Meadows and pastures, fields, the banks of the Sur, smaller and larger trees and numerous hedges combine to form an important cultural landscape. The “Pasture Landscapes in the Surtal” project aims to set accents to strengthen grazing in this habitat. In the spirit of a holistic UNSESO approach, people, animals and nature benefit equally.

Did you know?

More than 1760 different species of plants and more than 1700 different species of animals live in the Biosphere Region. 70% of them are insects! The most species-rich areas in the region are the extensively managed meadows and pastures – comparable to tropical rainforests in their importance for biodiversity.

Berchtesgadener Land Wild Bee Project

From the peaks of the Berchtesgaden Alps to the hilly foothills, many rare species of flora and fauna can be found in the local cultural landscape. But no species represents an intact landscape as thoroughly as the wild bee. That is why the protection of their habitats is the focus of the wild bee project – in doing so, we are not only protecting the wild bee, but also numerous other types of animals and plants.

Building wild bee nesting aids yourself

Maybe you feel like creating a new habitat for wild bees in your garden or on your balcony. It is exciting to observe which species will colonize the nesting aid. But also, if you want to buy a nesting aid, the following videos can help you to decide on the suitable model.

Species and biotope protection concept

The Species and Biotope Protection Concept (“Arten- und Biotopschutzkonzept”, ABSP) is developed throughout Bavaria for districts and independent cities on behalf of the State Office for the Environment. It shows the species population in the respective area and provides guidelines and goals for their development and protection. The ABSP is an important decision-making basis for conservation work in the Biosphere Region.

Field wild herbs

The Administration Office has been supporting the propagation and reintroduction of selected native wild herbs for several years. In horticultural cultivation, regional mother stocks of wild herbs are multiplied and the newly obtained seeds are reintroduced to selected grain fields in cooperation with agricultural enterprises. The aim is to promote the (re-)spread of native wild herbs.

Biosphere Fruit Trees

Orchard meadows are a characteristic part of our cultural landscape, however, during the last decades many fruit trees have disappeared from the landscape. The biosphere fruit tree campaign and other initiatives should help to revive meadow orchards in the district or to create new ones.

Lapwing Protection in Berchtesgadener Land

The lapwing – once a familiar sight in our cultural landscape – is now, like many other ground-nesting birds, highly endangered. A joint project by the Administration of the Biosphere Region and the Landscape Conservation Association of the Berchtesgadener Land Biosphere Region is taking on the bird of the year 2024 in a multi-year species protection project. Through close cooperation with farmers and volunteers, the nests are marked out before cultivation and left out during processing. Farmers can thus make a valuable contribution to improving the lapwing’s breeding success

Projects for volunteers

Since 2017, volunteers have been supporting the preservation of the cultural landscape in Berchtesgadener Land. During volunteer assignments, participants experience first-hand why their commitment to biodiversity in one of Germany’s most beautiful mountain regions is of great importance. If you feel like joining in, you can register right here.