Breaks nature reserve

Wet meadow area in the southeast of the Brüche nature reserve

Meadows in the Brüche nature reserve

Alder forest area in the northern area of the Brüche nature reserve

The Brüche nature reserve with a size of 53.83 hectares is located between Scharfenberg and Rixen in the urban area of Brilon . The area was designated as a nature reserve (NSG) by the Hochsauerlandkreis in 2008 with the landscape plan of the Brilon plateau . To the east of the NSG is bordered by the nature reserve wet grassland quarries and forest breaks .

Area description

The NSG is a grassland complex with valuable wet and poor grassland and short, near-natural headwaters. The NSG lies on a slope that slopes gently to the northwest and is morphologically divided by two valleys. The grassland is mostly used as a hay meadow. Most of the grassland can be described as intensively used fat meadows and fat pastures. The NSG is traversed by several drainage ditches or former brooks that have been developed in the form of trenches. In the entire NSG along these trenches, smaller wet grassland parcels can be found locally accompanied by sedge and rush swamps. Where these are cultivated more extensively due to increasing wetness, there is usually poor grassland interspersed with moisture indicators. The wet grassland remains are partly overgrown with rushes, meadowsweet and swamp yarrow. A larger wet and wet pasture area has been preserved on the eastern edge of the NSG, a drainage ditch that occurs here is no longer maintained and has become swampy due to grazing. In this area there are also mainly lean red fescue ostrich grass pastures with z. T. a lot of round-leaved bellflower.

The Bach Musenbecke rises in a spring fan in the NSG. The source fan of the Musenbecke is largely close to nature with sections of riparian woodland with narrow alder and floodplain wood fringes. In the directly adjacent Glenne valley system nature reserve , Musenbecke flows north-west. In the area of the source fan there are remains of an alder quarry forest ruderalized by increasing drainage. Primarily in the western part of the NSG there are single trees such as older oaks or patchy bushes along the fences and paths. Some black alder in individual or group positions are particularly characteristic of the landscape.

As a large area of grassland, the Bruchen NSG is of great importance as a habitat for meadow species. So the endangered meadow pipit was detected. The moist, wet and lean grassland remains in the NSG also contain endangered plant species such as the devil's bite and the millet sedge .

Protection purpose

The NSG was designed to maintain and optimize a wet grassland area with a high ecological site potential as a current and potential habitat for some rare and endangered animal and plant species. The NSG is also intended to protect a stepping stone biotope in connection with similar grassland nature reserves to the north-northeast of the Waldbruch nature reserve and to the east of this area the Bindel nature reserve, as well as in addition to the Glenne valley system nature reserve .

As with all nature reserves in Germany, the protection designation pointed out that the area became a nature reserve “because of the rarity, special character and beauty of the area”. Protection of a grassland area with rare and endangered animal and plant species.

Hazards and protective measures

The specialist information system from the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia lists drainage , drainage ditches and overly intensive grassland management as threats . The State Office calls for protective measures to preserve the landscape structures, extensive grassland management during mowing and grazing, no fertilization, the closing and damming of drainage facilities, the conversion of arable land into grassland and the rewetting of drained areas.