Mahlbach- und Ölfetal system nature reserve

The Mahlbach- und Ölfetal system nature reserve with a size of 74.8 ha is located south to south-east of Hesborn in the urban area of Hallenberg . It was designated as a nature reserve (NSG) by the Hochsauerlandkreis on September 15, 2004 with the Hallenberg landscape plan. The NSG is part of the European bird sanctuary Medebacher Bucht . In the east, the NSG is on the border with the city of Medebach . Adjacent protected areas are the NSG Stemmberg at two points in the northeast and the NSG Hollenhaus and the NSG Olfetal in the east .

Area description

The NSG is a multi-armed valley system with Ölfe , its tributaries Mahlbach and Dormecke as well as the lower reaches of two left Mahlbach tributaries with their floodplains . The floodplain is characterized by extensive grassland. In the grassland there are wet pastures and meadows in the floodplain. In one area near Hesborn, the wet grassland is also on boggy-boggy ground. There are small areas of moist gold oat meadows in the area. There are hay meadows and poor pastures in the grassland. In the lean grassland there are types of grass grass and semi-arid grasslands. Parts of the grassland have Paragraph 62 biotope types.

The streams are close to nature with sections of riverbank trees including rows of head trees. Dense, wide, uncut natural hedges grow on both sides of the valleys and on the parcel boundaries. Individual shrubs and trees, rows of head trees, bushes and rows of trees in the NSG or at the edges are scattered around. In some places, small plots were afforested with spruce trees. Locally there are also gorse stocks, smaller, multi-stemmed coppices and rock ridges. In places along the wayside there are very wide weeds. In the northern Habicher Valley, individual arable areas are interspersed in the NSG. There are also two fish ponds surrounded by spruce trees in the valley floor. There is also a fish pond in the Olfe Valley. There are several huts in the NSG. In the past, moist grassland areas were partially filled with soil and a side valley of the Habicher valley was filled with rubble. In the Bachtal near Dreislar , the entire Bachtal was filled in at about 500 m and the course of the stream itself was severely narrowed. In the area it has a bed only two meters wide, which is bordered by high embankments. To the west of it, the oil is accompanied by a thick border of trees. The old and partly multi-shoot alders and old willows.

Protection purpose

The NSG is supposed to protect the grassland and the streams of their species inventory. To contribute to the preservation and development of communities and habitats of wild, partly endangered species, animal and plant species. As with all nature reserves in Germany, the protection designation pointed out that the area was designated as a nature reserve “because of the rarity, special character and beauty of the area”. According to the nature reserve designation, the area was also designated as a nature reserve in order to secure the ecological network Natura 2000 of the EU within the meaning of the Habitats Directive.