By Sara Volker
A new project in the Federal Biological Diversity Program shows how polluted water bodies can be gently and sustainably restored to a good condition. The town of Reinfeld in the district of Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstein, is characterized by a pond that monks created for fish farming in the 12th century. In the project „Improvement of the ecosystem services in the Reinfelder Teichen (VerTe)“ the causes of the silting up of these ponds are combated by, among other things, promoting underwater vegetation and reducing algae growth and nutrient input. The entire catchment area of the Heilsau waters, including the Trave, will benefit from this. The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) are funding the project with around 1.65 million euros.
Bundesumweltministerin Steffi Lemke: „Feuchtgebiete sind wertvolle Ökosysteme, die wichtige Aufgaben in der Natur übernehmen: Sie speichern Kohlenstoff, regulieren das Klima und tragen zur Wasserversorgung sowie zur Erholung bei. Grundvoraussetzung für diese Leistungen ist jedoch ein guter ökologischer Zustand der Gewässer. Mit den Renaturierungsmaßnahmen im Projekt ‚VerTe‘ haben die Reinfelder Teiche zukünftig das Potenzial, zur Abschwächung von Klimafolgen beizutragen und zugleich für ähnliche Projekte im natürlichen Klimaschutz bundesweit beispielgebend zu sein.“
BfN President Sabine Riewenherm: “Ponds and ponds are places of aquatic biodiversity and the freshwater systems that are most common in the world. Pond landscapes are also of great value for people’s recreation and can show us the connections in nature and the local biodiversity in a very concrete way. The ‚VerTe‘ project promotes the biological diversity of the Reinfeld ponds and thus creates the basis for several ecosystem services. The recreational value of the pond landscape also increases.
