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.
Species protection project lapwing
Like many other ground-nesting birds, the lapwing is now highly endangered in Bavaria. It used to be an integral part of our cultural landscape – but over the last 30 years, populations have declined by almost 90% in Bavaria and Germany, meaning that the once “common species” has become one of the most threatened breeding bird species in Bavaria. In order to protect and promote the remaining lapwing populations, the Administration Office of the Biosphere Region and the Landscape Conservation Association Biosphere Region Berchtesgadener Land e.V. have launched a species protection project for the lapwing.
In the project, volunteers with the participation of the State Association for Bird and Nature Conservation (LBV) work closely with farmers to search for lapwing pairs in meadows and fields in order to mark out their clutches and protect them when farming the land. From February onwards, the lapwings return to the district from their winter quarters to breed and raise their young. At the beginning of March, the site-loyal birds begin to look for suitable areas for their breeding grounds. On the ground, the pigeon-sized bird is easy to recognise by its characteristic black crest of feathers, called a “holle”. In the air, its bright white belly and greenish, metallic shimmering wings form a striking contrast.
