Elpetal nature reserve near Gevelinghausen

	NSG Elpetal near Gevelinghausen IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
	Old bridge over the Elpe in the nature reserve
location	Olsberg , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany
surface	37.4 ha
Identifier	HSK-276
WDPA ID	329346
Geographical location	51 ° 21 ' N , 8 ° 26' E Coordinates: 51 ° 20 '39 " N , 8 ° 25' 50" E
Setup date	2004
Framework plan	Landscape plan Olsberg
administration	Lower landscape authority of the Hochsauerlandkreis

The Elpetal nature reserve near Gevelinghausen with a size of 37.4 hectares is located to the southwest or west of Gevelinghausen in the urban area of Olsberg in the Hochsauerlandkreis . The area was designated as a nature reserve (NSG) by the Hochsauerlandkreis in 2004 with the Olsberg landscape plan . The NSG consists of three areas that are only separated from each other by narrow strips of two streets. The northern sections of the Elpe in the NSG have also been part of the Fauna-Flora-Habitat-Area (FFH) Ruhr (Natura 2000-Nr. DE-4614-303) in the European protected area system according to Natura 2000 since 2004. The sports field of Gevelinghausen and Kreisstraße 15 borders directly on the north surface of the NSG.

Area description

The NSG is the Elpe river and the floodplain . Adjacent are Christmas tree cultures in the west and intensively cultivated pastureland in the north. The Elpe has a well-structured, natural river bed with sand and gravel banks. In the southwest area there is a rock area that extends into the river bed. On the slope on the west bank of the river there is an oak-beech forest, in which hornbeam is locally interspersed. A hiking trail leads through the forest and crosses the Elpe in the southern part of the NSG. There is a grill hut in the NSG. The south-eastern end of the NSG forms a stand of spruce trees along the river in which local alders are interspersed. There is a pool here for treading water . To the north of the river there are fat pastures that are intensively grazed. Narrow areas along the river show signs of leanness and are designated as legally protected biotopes according to § 30 BNatSchG . In the south-east there is humid grassland that is rich in tall perennials, which has also been designated as a legally protected biotope. The pastures in this area are partly shallow and in places rock is exposed. Between the two pastures in the NSG there is a hedge with very old oak trees that are densely overgrown with lichen. This hedge extends in a west-east direction and merges into a second row of trees at its west end, which extends from north to south and merges into an alluvial forest designated as a legally protected biotope at its southern end. A small stream follows it. To the east of the floodplain forest there is a poplar plantation. In the area there are old stands of oak trees, some of which are several hundred years old and overgrown with lichen.

The central area directly on the Elpe was purchased by the Hochsauerlandkreis in 2015 in order to optimally protect the area. In this area there is an impressive ash tree that is around two hundred years old. It is probably part of an arboretum that was planted at the time .

The specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia documents the NSG: As a river valley used for grassland, it is also of particular importance as a stepping stone and refuge biotope in the regional biotope network of grassland creek valleys.

The FFH species pond bat , bullhead and brook lamprey were detected in the protected area.

Protection purpose

NSG from the northeast

In the NSG, the Elpe and the Aue should be protected. 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”.

literature

Hochsauerlandkreis - Lower Landscape Authority: Olsberg landscape plan . Meschede 2004, pp. 19-24 and 55-56.

Web links

Commons : Elpetal nature reserve near Gevelinghausen - collection of images

Nature reserve “Elpetal bei Gevelinghausen” in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia

Individual evidence

↑ Anne von Heydebrand: If the oak turns green before the ash, the summer holds its own: a natural monument in Gevelinghausen outlasts the time WOLL summer 2020: 138–139

[1] Anne von Heydebrand: If the oak turns green before the ash, the summer holds its own: a natural monument in Gevelinghausen outlasts the time WOLL summer 2020: 138–139