Hessian Society for Ornithology and Nature Conservation
| Hessian Society for Ornithology and Nature Conservation (HGON) |
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|---|---|
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| legal form | registered association |
| founding | 1972 |
| Seat | Frankfurt am Main |
| Office | Echzell |
| purpose | Use and project work in nature conservation and ornithology |
| Chair | Tobias Erik Reiners |
| Members | 1,400 (12/2019) |
| Website | www.hgon.de |
The Hessian Society for Ornithology and Nature Conservation e. V. (HGON) is a German non-governmental organization (NGO) for ornithology and nature conservation , whose field of activity is the state of Hesse .
history
The society was founded in 1964 as the Hesse Avifauna Working Group with the aim of researching the bird world (avifauna) in Hesse and their living conditions, but also their endangerment and ways of protecting them. Since animals and plants are inevitably closely linked to their habitat, nature conservation emerged as the second focus. Therefore, the association was renamed the Hessian Society for Ornithology and Nature Conservation in 1972. At the same time, it was entered in the Frankfurt am Main register of associations and recognized as non-profit and scientifically active. The founders chose the gray heron, which was threatened with extinction at the time, as the symbol of their association . They campaigned for an end to its hunting and the protection of its breeding colonies. Today the number of gray herons has multiplied and the bird species populates all the Hessian landscapes again.
The HGON has been a recognized nature conservation association since 1978. Due to the formal recognition according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act , the association is legally equal to municipal and state institutions and must be heard when interfering with the natural balance.
working area
The conception, application and maintenance of protected areas take up a large part of the association's work. For example, the majority of the Hessian nature reserves can be traced back to preliminary work by the HGON.
The HGON is represented in all Hessian nature conservation councils, in the advisory board for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Hesse and in the advisory board of the Hessian Eco Agency, as well as in the board of trustees of the Hessian Nature Conservation Foundation . In turn, it is a member or regional member association in many nationally operating associations in the fields of ornithology and nature conservation, such as the German Ornithological Society (DO-G), the German Nature Protection Ring (DNR) and the umbrella association of German Avifaunists (DDA).
In honor of its long-term chairman, the HGON founded the Willy Bauer Nature Conservation Foundation, thereby further expanding its commitment to the promotion and implementation of species and biotope conservation projects.
organization
The regional office has been in Echzell (Wetterau) since 1992, the HGON is based in Frankfurt am Main. The association does not have any legally independent subdivisions. The members resident in the respective districts are assigned to one or more working groups. The working group members appoint a working group leader from their ranks. The executive board of the HGON consists of the first chairman, up to three deputy chairmen, the secretary, the treasurer, the youth spokesman and at least three other members. The entire board consists of the executive board, the working group leaders and a maximum of fifteen other association members. A major part of the work is done in the working groups that carry out events and regional projects. The working group members also collect the faunistic data that is required for nationwide monitoring or for on-site nature conservation.
Contents and focus in the field of ornithology
The HGON carries out annual counts among the Hessian birds, the results of which it publishes in various regional or national books and magazines. It also participates in nationwide recording programs, such as the current atlas of German breeding bird species (ADEBAR) and the international water bird census since the 1960s. The services of the association are presented in an ornithological annual report.
The mapping results are incorporated into various species protection concepts, such as the meadow bird protection program. They also form the foundation for the Red List of Endangered Birds in Hesse, which the HGON is compiling together with the State Bird Protection Center for Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
Exceptionally rare bird observations must be reported to a rarity committee for assessment. The HGON has appointed experts to the Hesse Avifaunistic Commission for this purpose. The commission publishes regular reports on the recognized rarities in Hesse.
Since 2007, the HGON has been intensively researching the causes of decline in the red kite . To this end, six red kites have so far been equipped with satellite transmitters in order to receive more precise information about the migration routes, winter quarters and summer quarters. Furthermore, so far over 35 red kites have been equipped with green wing tags, which enable easy recognition in the field.
Special projects in the field of nature conservation
The name Willy Bauer, then first chairman of the HGON, is inextricably linked with measures to reintroduce the beaver in Hesse. At the beginning of the 1970s, he was the first to promote the reintroduction of the beaver in Hesse through discussions, conversations and trips, in cooperation with the environmental authorities. After long preparatory work, a total of 18 beavers from the GDR were released in 1987/88 on the water systems of Sinn and Jossa in the Hessian Spessart ; since then the species has been part of the Hessian fauna again.
Triggered by the increased logging in older beech stands in the 1960s and 1970s with the aim of replacing slowly growing hardwood stands with faster growing conifer stands (spruce, Douglas fir), the HGON initiated an old wood island program . This is a Hesse-wide protection program for cave and dead wood species. Sufficient stocks of old beech trees also provide the basis for a large number of animal species in Hessen.
In 2003, the HGON bought a half-timbered house in Greifenstein-Allendorf in order to secure the long-term existence of a bat colony of the Great Mouse - eared Mouse . The lower rooms of the house have been converted into a bat information center . School classes, kindergartens and interested parties can find out about bats and their habits on site. From April to October, infrared cameras can be used to take a look into the mouse-eared nursery.
publication
- Birds in Hessen. Hesse's breeding birds in space and time. Breeding bird atlas, Echzell 2010, ISBN 978-3-9801092-8-4
Web links
- Literature by and about the Hessian Society for Ornithology and Nature Conservation in the catalog of the German National Library
- Official website of the HGON (regional association)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nils M. Franke The History of Nature Conservation in Hesse (1900–1990) . Wiesbaden 2013., p. 37ff.
- ↑ www.hgon.de/akh.htm ( Memento from October 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Information on the HGON red kite project ( Memento from April 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Information on the beaver in Hessen ( Memento from August 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Information on the old wood island program ( Memento from February 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Information on the HGON bat house ( Memento of the original from August 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ FAZ of December 30, 2010, page 46: Whinchat have a hard time
