Wallnau Waterbird Reserve
Encyclopedia
The Wallnau Waterbird Reserve is one of the most important reserves
for migratory birds in Germany and the largest of NABU
's nature conservation centres. The former pond estate
of Wallnau lies on the west coast of the Baltic island
of Fehmarn
and covers, in its core zone, an area of just under 300 hectares (741.3 acre), of ponds, reed beds and meadows as well as part of the Baltic Sea and its fringing beaches. The nature conservation centre houses an exhibition on bird migration
, a small restaurant and seminar rooms. Paid and volunteer workers look after conservation-related work and public relations. The centre is certified as the provider of education for sustainable development
.
s, reed bed
s, wet meadow
s and small groves of trees, was originally a bay in the Baltic Sea
before a spit
developed and separated what became an inland lake from the sea 400 years ago.
In the 19th century the area was drained by engineer and surveyor, Gustav Kröhnke, and numerous fish ponds were created over an area of 375 hectares (926.6 acre).
The drained lake was used for a long time for agricultural purposes before it was purchased in 1975 by the German Society for the Protection of Birds (Deutscher Bund für Vogelschutz) and the district of Ostholstein. NABU bought the site in 1976 and, by 1977, it had been designated as a nature reserve
.
This secured the protection of breeding and migrant bird species. In order to optimise the habitat for these birds, landscaping measures were carried out in several areas. The reserve also took part in a LIFE project for improving the protection of the Baltic Sea lagoons, cooperating with Danish and Swedish partners. The head of NABU's Wallnau Waterbird Reserve since March 2008 has been Malte Siegert.
In March 2010 NABU Wallnau was given responsibility for three other nature reserves on Fehmarn, thus creating a linked conservation system on the island. One reserve lay just to the north of NABU's existing nature reserve of Wallnau/Fehmarn. The two others are located between the Wallnau Nature Reserve and the NABU's Krummsteert-Sulsdorf Wiek / Fehmarn Nature Reserve. The peninsula of Spitzenort and the islands in the Lemkenhafener Wiek, which are home to inter alia a large colony of herring gulls, will also be looked after by NABU Wallnau in the future. The reserves fall under the EU's Birds Directive
and are Special Areas of Conservation in the Europe-wide conservation network known as Natura 2000
.
In 1970 the Love and Peace Festival, a music festival
lasting several days took place on the edge of the present NABU reserve. This event was the last one at which Jimi Hendrix
performed before his death. Today, a memorial stone commemorates the event.
, was transferred to NABU
.
Data from the continual waterbird numbers and mapping is archived and passed on to the collection points. Employees of the reserve carry out tasks for the Nature Conservation Service of the state of Schleswig Holstein. The team of the waterbird reserve undertakes specialist support of the Wallnau nature reserve and the site support of the reserves of Grüner Brink and Krummsteert/Sulsdorfer Wiek on the island.
and Little Tern
.
The nature reserve can be viewed at any time from a path on the crest of the summer dyke. NABU's information centre is open from March to October and there are also guided walks through the area.
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
for migratory birds in Germany and the largest of NABU
Nabu
Nabu is the Assyrian and Babylonian god of wisdom and writing, worshipped by Babylonians as the son of Marduk and his consort, Sarpanitum, and as the grandson of Ea. Nabu's consort was Tashmetum....
's nature conservation centres. The former pond estate
Cultural landscape
Cultural Landscapes have been defined by the World Heritage Committee as distinct geographical areas or properties uniquely "..represent[ing] the combined work of nature and of man.."....
of Wallnau lies on the west coast of the Baltic island
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
of Fehmarn
Fehmarn
Fehmarn is an island and - since 2003 - a town on this island in the Baltic Sea, off the eastern coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and ca. 18 kilometers south of the Danish island of Lolland...
and covers, in its core zone, an area of just under 300 hectares (741.3 acre), of ponds, reed beds and meadows as well as part of the Baltic Sea and its fringing beaches. The nature conservation centre houses an exhibition on bird migration
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, a small restaurant and seminar rooms. Paid and volunteer workers look after conservation-related work and public relations. The centre is certified as the provider of education for sustainable development
Education for Sustainable Development
Sustainability education , Education for Sustainability , and Education for Sustainable Development are interchangeable terms describing the practice of teaching for sustainability. ESD is the term most used internationally level and by the United Nations...
.
History
The area, which consists of pondPond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s, reed bed
Reed bed
Reed beds are natural habitats found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions andestuaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground...
s, wet meadow
Wet meadow
A wet meadow is a semi-wetland meadow which is saturated with water throughout much of the year. Wet meadows may occur because of poor drainage or the receipt of large amounts of water from rain or melted snow. They may also occur in riparian zones....
s and small groves of trees, was originally a bay in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
before a spit
Spit (landform)
A spit or sandspit is a deposition landform found off coasts. At one end, spits connect to land, and extend into the sea. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift...
developed and separated what became an inland lake from the sea 400 years ago.
In the 19th century the area was drained by engineer and surveyor, Gustav Kröhnke, and numerous fish ponds were created over an area of 375 hectares (926.6 acre).
The drained lake was used for a long time for agricultural purposes before it was purchased in 1975 by the German Society for the Protection of Birds (Deutscher Bund für Vogelschutz) and the district of Ostholstein. NABU bought the site in 1976 and, by 1977, it had been designated as a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
.
This secured the protection of breeding and migrant bird species. In order to optimise the habitat for these birds, landscaping measures were carried out in several areas. The reserve also took part in a LIFE project for improving the protection of the Baltic Sea lagoons, cooperating with Danish and Swedish partners. The head of NABU's Wallnau Waterbird Reserve since March 2008 has been Malte Siegert.
In March 2010 NABU Wallnau was given responsibility for three other nature reserves on Fehmarn, thus creating a linked conservation system on the island. One reserve lay just to the north of NABU's existing nature reserve of Wallnau/Fehmarn. The two others are located between the Wallnau Nature Reserve and the NABU's Krummsteert-Sulsdorf Wiek / Fehmarn Nature Reserve. The peninsula of Spitzenort and the islands in the Lemkenhafener Wiek, which are home to inter alia a large colony of herring gulls, will also be looked after by NABU Wallnau in the future. The reserves fall under the EU's Birds Directive
Birds Directive
The Birds Directive is a European Union directive adopted in 2009. It replaces Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds which was modified several times and had become very unclear...
and are Special Areas of Conservation in the Europe-wide conservation network known as Natura 2000
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...
.
In 1970 the Love and Peace Festival, a music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
lasting several days took place on the edge of the present NABU reserve. This event was the last one at which Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
performed before his death. Today, a memorial stone commemorates the event.
Wallnau / Fehmarn Nature Reserve
On 23 December 1977 ownership of the 298 hectares (736.4 acre) site, designated as a nature reserve by the state of Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, was transferred to NABU
Nabu
Nabu is the Assyrian and Babylonian god of wisdom and writing, worshipped by Babylonians as the son of Marduk and his consort, Sarpanitum, and as the grandson of Ea. Nabu's consort was Tashmetum....
.
Conservation
Over 270 species of bird use the terrain of the nature reserve as a resting area during their migration. Around 100 species breed in Wallnau.Data from the continual waterbird numbers and mapping is archived and passed on to the collection points. Employees of the reserve carry out tasks for the Nature Conservation Service of the state of Schleswig Holstein. The team of the waterbird reserve undertakes specialist support of the Wallnau nature reserve and the site support of the reserves of Grüner Brink and Krummsteert/Sulsdorfer Wiek on the island.
Importance
Because of its favourable location on the migration path of migrating birds, Wallnau is a much sought-after resting place and is also used as a nesting ground in the summer by rare birds like the Red-necked GrebeRed-necked Grebe
The Red-necked Grebe is a migratory aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts, although some birds may winter on large lakes...
and Little Tern
Little Tern
The Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...
.
The nature reserve can be viewed at any time from a path on the crest of the summer dyke. NABU's information centre is open from March to October and there are also guided walks through the area.
External links
- www.nabu-wallnau.de - NABU waterbird reserve at Wallnau
- Audiopodcast of important sites on Fehmarn, incl. Wallnau, Orth, Grüner Brink