Schaalsee biosphere reserve

Location of the Schaalsee biosphere reserve

Logo of the biosphere reserve

The Schaalsee biosphere reserve is a protected area in the west of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (districts of Northwest Mecklenburg and Ludwigslust-Parchim ) on the border with Schleswig-Holstein . From 1952 to 1990, large parts of the Schaalsee landscape were in the restricted area of the inner-German border . The associated forced rest shaped the area over time, and nature gained space. After German reunification , this area was designated as a biosphere reserve in 2000 . The Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park, founded in 1961, is immediately adjacent to the Schleswig-Holstein side of the state border .

geography

The biosphere reserve is located in a young moraine landscape shaped by the Vistula Ice Age , which adjoins the Baltic ridge of the Schleswig-Holstein hill country , which is pierced by the Trave, eastwards and runs through all of Mecklenburg .

There are several islands in the lake, including Kampenwerder , Stintenburginsel and Rethwiese .

Development of the protected area

Zarrentin Schaalsee

Schaalsee, small fox ( butterfly ) on Schaalsee meadow

In 1957, parts of the Mecklenburg Schaalsee landscape were designated as a landscape protection area.

When the last GDR government decided on the national park program on September 12, 1990 , it also secured the 162 km² Schaalsee nature park in cooperation with the municipalities of the time .

From 1992 to 2010 the federal government promoted areas of a good 300 km² around the Schaalsee as an area of national representative importance for nature conservation (187 km² in the Schaalsee Nature Park and 117 km² in the Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park to the west ). As part of the project, the Zweckverband Schaalsee-Landschaft became the largest land owner in the Schaalsee region (4500 hectares as of January 2010), with the management of the biosphere reserve taking care of the administrative tasks since 2010.

In 1998 the Pahlhuus , the information center for the biosphere reserve , was set up.

In January 2000, UNESCO included the Schaalsee (with the Mecklenburg landscape protection area Schaalseelandschaft) in the international network of the then 411 biosphere reserves.

In July 2001 the surrounding communities, the Office for the Schaalsee Biosphere Reserve and the Förderverein Biosphäre Schaalsee e. V. launched the regional Agenda 21 in the Schaalsee Biosphere Reserve.

Since February 1, 2015, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Schaalsee has been administered together with the Biosphere Reserve River Landscape Elbe-Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as the Biosphere Reserve Office Schaalsee - Elbe based in Zarrentin am Schaalsee .

Information facilities

Pahlhuus with the Schaalsee-Elbe Biosphere Reserve Office (left in the picture)

The Pahlhuus (Low German, svw. Father's house ) in Zarrentin am Schaalsee is the information center of the Schaalsee biosphere reserve and at the same time the seat of the Schaalsee-Elbe biosphere reserve office. On an area of 150 m², the Pahlhuus offers insights into and around the Schaalsee in the permanent exhibition. Visitors can find out about the natural features of the biosphere reserve and tourist offers, purchase information material and hiking maps and rent bicycles (also with child trailers) to start the tour around the Schaalsee.

Artists from the region also present their work in constantly changing special exhibitions. Every first Sunday in the summer season, regional products are offered on the Biosphere-Schaalsee market in front of the Pahlhuus. The moor walkway begins directly behind the Pahlhuus and leads into the nature of the Schaalsee landscape. Visitors can also go on excursions from here with the rangers of the Biosphere Reserve Office.

Zoning

Biosphere reserves are divided into zones in order to do justice to the various tasks. The Schaalsee biosphere reserve is subdivided into three zones: In the core zone (6.1 percent of the area) there are areas that are not influenced by humans, such as siltation zones of lakes, moors and structurally rich deciduous forests. In the maintenance zone (28.6 percent), valuable ecosystems of the cultivated landscape are preserved through gentle land use. Together with Zone 1, it has the highest ecological value. In the development zone (65.3 percent), environmentally friendly land use is to be pursued in accordance with the UNESCO MAB program for balanced regional development.

A total of 18 nature reserves (NSG) are located within the biosphere reserve (status at the end of 2013). They are mainly classified in the development and maintenance zone and cover an area of 4483 hectares. In detail, the following NSG belong to the biosphere reserve:

Nature reserve Boissower See and
Southern part of the Neuenkirchener See (together 73 ha)
Campower steep bank (13 ha)
The Eternal Pond (21 ha)
Kammerbruch (148 ha)
Kiekbuschwiesen near Neuhof (51 ha)
Kuhlrader Moor and Röggeliner See (307 ha)
Lankower See (130 ha)
Mechower See (185 ha)
Moor channel from Klein Salitz to Neuenkirchener See (846 ha)
Neuendorfer Moor (161 ha)
Niendorf-Bernstorfer Binnensee (581 ha)
Schaalelauf (538 ha)
Schönwolder Moor (142 ha)
Strangen (78 ha)
Techin (621 ha)
Wakenitz lowland (291 ha)
White and Black Moor (123 ha)

The communities of Dechow , Groß Molzahn , Kneese , Roggendorf , Rögnitz , Schlagsdorf and Utecht are entirely in the biosphere reserve. The communities Carlow , Holdorf , Königsfeld , Krembz , Thandorf , Wittendbod and Zarrentin on the Schaalsee are proportionally included.

literature

Framework concept (model) of the biosphere reserve. (PDF; 1.4 MB) Office for the Schaalsee Biosphere Reserve, 2003, p. 59 , accessed on November 11, 2009 .