Heaths in the Long Valley

	"Heiden im Langen Tal" nature reserve IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
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location	Laichingen in the Alb-Donau district , Baden-Württemberg , Germany
surface	30.7 ha
Identifier	4243
WDPA ID	163588
Geographical location	48 ° 29 ' N , 9 ° 45' E Coordinates: 48 ° 28 '58 " N , 9 ° 45' 15" E
Sea level	from 675 m to 715 m
Setup date	June 8, 1994
administration	Regional Council Tübingen

The heaths in the Langen Tal in the Alb-Donau district of Baden-Württemberg were designated as a nature reserve (NSG) in 1994. The reserve covers an area of 30.7 hectares.

location

The nature reserve is about 1.5 km south of Machtolsheim on the road from Machtolsheim to Blaubeuren, at an altitude of about 675 to 715 m above sea level. NN. Since the "Long Valley" lies north of the cliff line that was created by the sea advance in the Tertiary, it belongs to the natural spatial unit of the Middle Kuppenalb , in the southern part of which it is located. To the south of this natural border is the Mittlere Flachalb .

Geology and soils

The basement of the Swabian Alb consists of gneisses and granites on which the overburden is deposited, consisting of sedimentary rocks from the Permian , Triassic and Jurassic . The Middle Kuppenalb shows the typical Jura stratification of black Jura (Lias), brown Jura (Dogger), and white Jura (Malm) from bottom to top. The plateau of the Kuppenalb consists of sedimentary rocks (limestone and marl) from the Weißjura delta to epsilon. The area was no longer covered during the sea advance in the Tertiary , so that erosion and weathering exposed the younger layers of the White Jura for a long time and were able to carve out a hilly relief from the irregular sponge limestone, to which this Alb part owes the name Kuppenalb. The mass limestones in the area belong to the Mittelkimmeridge limestone (w delta) of the sponge algae facies. In the northeast is z. Partly holey dolomitic limestone, which is also called sugar grain because of its coarse crystalline structure. In the far north there is still a layer of the younger Oberkimmeridge limestone (w epsilon) consisting of bench limestone with numerous deposits of sponge algae limestone.

The "Long Valley" is a dry valley that was cut during the Cold Age of the Pleistocene . Due to the frost that prevailed during the cold period, the karst system was not functioning, so that the water that ran off the surface could do more erosion work. Due to the continuous deepening of the Danube for 8 million years, and thus a lowering of the receiving water level d. H. of the groundwater in deeper areas of the Weißjuras, former side valleys of the Danube fell like z. B. the "Long Valley" dry.

The valley floor of the NSG is filled with Quaternary loam and white jura rubble, and in part also with the typical weathering loam that is formed during the weathering of limestone. The soils that develop from this are typical calcareous trends in which the often humus, crumbly and skeletal A horizon is immediately followed by the C horizon. The parent rock is directly on the slopes, at least it is not developed beyond the raw soil stage. Root space and water storage capacity are very limited in such dry locations. On the barely inclined surfaces in the north, the soils are already deeper. If surface acidification is likely to exist in places, which can also be recognized by the occurrence of the heather, and a new or remodeling clay mineral, the soils there are to be referred to as terra fuscen or brown earths, which have developed from a base-rich parent rock.

Land use and ownership

Of the total area of 30.7 ha of the NSG, around 15 ha are heather and around 10 ha are used as grassland. About 5 ha are arable. The heathland is mainly owned by the city of Laichingen and is used as a sheep pasture by the local shepherd via a lease agreement . Especially in the north-eastern part of the area, the areas are privately owned and managed by the shepherd. The meadow areas, which in particular belong to the town of Laichingen or the shepherd, are used as 2-3 streaked Öhmdwiesen.

The smaller, semi-arid lawns along Landesstrasse 1230 are only partially used by the local shepherd due to their accessibility and the dangerous location on the road.

Protection

The nature reserve "Heiden im Langen Tal" is particularly attractive due to its barreness. From a floristic and faunistic point of view, the eastern part can be classified as particularly valuable. The other, regionally significant and high-quality areas have been included in the nature reserve because the relatively extensively used area as such is to be preserved coherently. On the one hand, sheep grazing is only possible and profitable if the area is preserved in its entirety; on the other hand, lime-poor pastures are important retreats for numerous heat- and light-loving plants and animals attached to them.

This unique species population requires extensive areas in order to be able to develop a great variety. In combination with the hedges and the remains of meadows, such a landscape is extremely worthy of protection. 36% of the identified plant species on dry and semi-arid grasslands are endangered.

Flora and fauna

Rare butterflies include the common blue fly ( Maculinea arion ), the speedwell piebald ( Melitaea aurelia ) and the quail wheat piebald ( Melitaea athalia ). The small heather grasshopper ( Stenobothrus stimaticus ) was found on grasshoppers . He is a typical inhabitant of warm sheep pastures.

An endangered plant species are found chalice Alyssum ( Alyssum alyssoides ), Petite Schiller grass ( Koeleria macrantha ) Kurzblütiger Dandelion ( Taraxacum brachyglossum ) and Common pasque ( Pulsatilla vulgaris ).

literature

Department for nature conservation and landscape management: nature reserves in the administrative district of Tübingen . Ed .: Regional Council Tübingen. Second revised and expanded edition. Thorbecke, Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 978-3-7995-5175-5 , pp. 184-185 .
Franz Josef Obergföll, 4,243 appreciation Heiden im Langen Tal; 1983.