Optimisation of NATURA-2000-habitats in the National Park Eifel

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The Eifel National Park encompasses the counties of Aachen, Düren and Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia and covers some 11 000 ha. The park includes parts of six Natura 2000 network sites. The sites of the project area are characterised by deciduous forests, meadows rich in species, rocks with pioneer-vegetation and stream water-systems. The characteristic water, forest and wilderness habitats support a number of rare or endangered animal and plant species. However, the conservation status of four important forest habitat types – Luzulo-Fagetum beech forests, Asperulo-Fagetum beech-forests, Tilio-Acerion forests of slopes, screes and ravines, and Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior – has declined rapidly over the past decades. Listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive, these rare or endangered habitats are threatened by spruce plantations, which suppress the natural vegetation, and by spruce recolonisation or regrowth. As well as the forest habitats, the quality of the natural river courses has declined through the construction of weirs, which interrupt the free-flowing sections of the rivers and preventing fish migration possibilities. Bank areas and the riverbed have been altered and made more uniform, while important structures, which vary the flow speed and sediment distribution, are missing.

OBJECTIVES

The project aimed to advance conservation of the four abovementioned forest habitat types in the Natura 2000 sites. A second goal was to improve the ecological conditions and dynamics of water courses and riparian sites within the project area. Migration barriers would be removed over large river sections and hard bank protections would be taken down. Thirdly, the project aimed to reduce human disturbance in certain areas. Visitor guidance actions implemented by the project would create peaceful places in the forests and along the rivers.

RESULTS

The Wald - Wasser - Wildniss project actions led to the improvement of 76 km of river courses (greater than 60 km planned), 849 ha of forests (545 ha were planned) and 7.1 ha of open grassland habitats (5 ha were planned). The beneficiary expects that 779 ha of the 849 ha of forest actions will develop towards Luzulo-Fagetum beech forest (habitat type 9110) or on a small scale to Asperulo-Fagetum beech forests (habitat types 9130 and 9180). The other 70 ha will develop towards alluvial and bog forests (habitat type 91E0 and 91D0).

Specifically, project carried out the following conservation actions:

Removal of 128 river migration barriers (more than the 82 planned);

Modification of 12 ponds to enable migration in rivers (9 were planned)

Deconstruction of bank and river bed reinforcements in 16 sites; lower than the 22 planned because fewer reinforcements were discovered;

Reduction of fine deposit influx by actions at 136 site (41 were planned);

Increase of dead wood in and close to rivers along 1 425 m (1 000 m were planned);

Removal of alien species trees on 469 ha (68 ha were planned);

Removal of young stands of untypical trees on 495 ha (554 ha were planned);

Development of near-natural forest habitats on 105 ha (35 ha were planned);

Development of open areas aiming at grasslands and hay meadows (habitat types 6230 and 6520) on 7.1 ha (5 ha were planned); and

Deconstruction of tracks along 13.63 ha (6.3 ha were planned).

At several sites along the rivers – for example, areas where ponds were eliminated – the number of small river trouts (Salmo trutta) increased significantly, and in the upper reaches of the brook Sauerbach a trout was found for the first time. The bullhead (Cottus gobio) was found at three sites for the first time.

The Natura 2000 site Bachtäler im Truppenübungsplatz Vogelsang (DE 5404302) was enlarged by about 16 ha and the site Dedenborn, Talaue des Püngel-, Wüstebaches und Erkensruhroberlauf (DE 5404303) was enlarged by about 54 ha.

While reintroductions of stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) were carried out, reproduction rates were lower than expected. However, the beneficiaries plan to continue this effort for at least another five years after the end of the project.

Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).