Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal nature reserve

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Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal valley system

IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area

The Perlenbachtal

The Perlenbachtal

location Monschau , Aachen city region , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany
surface 3.4 km²
Identifier ACK-004
WDPA ID 82312
Natura 2000 ID DE-5403-301
FFH area 3.313 km²
Geographical location 50 ° 31 '  N , 6 ° 15'  E Coordinates: 50 ° 31 '5 "  N , 6 ° 15' 7"  E
Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal nature reserve (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal nature reserve
Setup date 1976
Framework plan Landscape plan Monschau
administration Lower landscape authority of the Aachen city region

The Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal-Talsystem nature reserve is a 331-  hectare nature reserve in the Aachen city region , which stands out for its fen vegetation and fallow wet grassland with sedge and reed stands . It is located at an altitude of 465 to 615  m above sea level. NHN near Monschau , west of Kalterherberg and south of the village of Höfen and thus belongs to the Monschauer-Hellental forest plateau. The area includes the two valleys of the Perlenbach and Fuhrtsbach, each around five kilometers long and around 25 to 100 meters wide .

geology

The geological subsurface of the area is purely Lower Devonian and includes stages of the Siegen stage. It is characterized by quartz-interspersed slate , which belong to the area of ​​the Middle and Upper Rurberg layers. Sandstone formations are less common . In the area of ​​the Fuhrtsbach valley there are also Wüstebach layers with almost black clay slate. The soil consists of acidic brown earth , which is formed as a gley near the stream .

history

Originally the area was overgrown with beech forests, but these were probably cleared as early as the 12th century. The area that had become free was used for agriculture over a period of more than 600 years, with the area around the streams being irrigated and fertilized by irrigation of meadows in so-called Flüx ditches . In the spring, suspended matter-containing stream water was allowed to flow over the meadows via a supply channel in the upper part of the stream, which supplied them with fresh nutrients. After the water had drained away, mowing was possible in July, significantly later than in the surrounding region. Nature remained undisturbed for a large part of the year, as the hay that was brought in was only used as winter fodder. The situation changed from around 1950. The introduction of artificial fertilizer made this fertilization method uneconomical, as hay could be obtained in open areas with significantly less effort. The hay harvest in the valley was no longer worthwhile and the first attempt at the time of Prussia and then again after the end of the Second World War was to plant spruce trees in and around the valley . Most of the forest in the region fell victim to firewood in the 17th and 18th centuries . The newly growing spruce trees more and more suffocated the underlying vegetation and displaced more and more plants and animals from the course of the stream.

Slate of the Rurberg strata

The valleys of the Perlbach and Fuhrtsbach were placed under nature protection in 1976 . In 1980 employees of the North Eifel Nature Park and the NRW Foundation for Nature Conservation, Home and Nature Conservation began to clear the spruce trees and plant alder trees along the course of the stream. Efforts were made to restore the stream to its original state.

The Perlenbachtal is also protected as a Natura 2000 area.

Types of vegetation

Different types of vegetation can be found in the nature reserve. At the edge of the brooks there is the typical damp and wet meadow vegetation, which is mainly characterized by the snake knotweed . This is followed by the area of ​​the valley meadows and thus at a greater distance from the potentially flooded brook area, the typical vegetation of the Bärwurzwiesen . In the special case of the Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal nature reserve, these represent narcissus meadows , which are basically Bärwurzwiesen Festuca rubra-Meum athamanthicum . They can also be found in the area of ​​the lean or bristle grass lawn, which is located in the drier and less nutrient-poor valley area. Small areas of ryegrass, white clover and willow vegetation and the previously widespread heather vegetation can be discovered in fragments.

Flora and fauna

Moos slope in the Perlenbachtal
Wild daffodils
Beaver tracks in the Perlenbachtal

The Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal nature reserve stands out for its biodiversity. Around 360 different fern and flowering plants can be found here, 60 of which are on the red list . This includes the fur fern ( Cryptogramma crispa ) , which otherwise only occurs in the high mountains . As the mollusc mapping project group found in 1992, more than 70 species of moss grow in the humid region , with Calliergon giganteum and Warnstorf's peat moss ( Sphagnum warnstorfii ) on the red list.

Possibly the stocks of the swamp lice herb ( Pedicularis palustris ) and the little-flowered sedge ( Carex pauciflora ) have disappeared in the valley . The only occurrence of the heather vetch ( Vicia orobus ) in the country exists in this nature reserve.

The meandering stream offers 45 species of snails and mussels a suitable biotope. The only occurrence of the freshwater pearl mussel ( Margaritifera margaritifera ) in North Rhine-Westphalia has been preserved in the protected area. Another extremely threatened species is the Dunkers spring snail ( Bythinella dunkeri ) found in the nature reserve .

Biologists identified 35 butterfly species, including the blue iridescent fire butterfly ( Lycaena helle ), the ringed mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Boloria eunomia ), the purple gold butterfly ( Lycaena hippothoe ) and the small fire butterfly ( Lycaena hippothoe ). Both species of the fire butterfly can be regarded as a relic of the Ice Age , as it is dependent on the permanently cool and humid climate of the valley, with annual mean temperatures of 6 to 6.5 ° C. The caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves of the knotweed.

At least twelve species of dragonflies , including the endangered blue-winged dragonfly ( Calyopteryx virgo ) and the two-striped spring damsel ( Cordulegaster boltonii ), find their habitat in the vicinity of the stream.

At least seven local fish species live in the stream, including the minnow ( Phoxinus phoxinus ), the loach ( Barbatula barbatula ), the grayling ( Thymallus thymallus ), the brown trout ( Salmo trutta fario ), the bullhead ( Cottus gobio ) and the round-mouthed one Brook lamprey ( Lampetra planeri ). Nine amphibian and reptile species such as the gray-brown forest lizard ( Zootoca vivipara ) are also native here.

In the surrounding forests and direct Bach environment we find 80 species of birds including the star big dipper ( Cinclus cinclus ), the Kingfisher ( Alcedo atthis ) and the willow tit ( Parus montanus ). There are also more than 40 species of mammals, including the endangered ciliate bat ( Myotis emarginatus ), the fringed bat ( Myotis nattereri ), the brown long-eared bat ( Plecotus auritus ) and the wild cat ( Felis silvestris ). The first beavers ( Castor fiber ) have settled in the brook area since 2000 .

Protection goals

The following protection goals have been set for the nature reserve:

Furthermore, the area is of importance eg for freshwater pearl mussel , beavers , dippers , Noctule , pipistrelle , natterjack toad , yellow daffodil and Blue Iridescent copper butterfly and boloria eunomia .

Yellow wild daffodils in the Perlenbachtal
Information board with closing times due to target practice
Exercise room Elsenborn, adjacent to the Perlenbachtal

Daffodil blossom tourist attraction

The annual daffodil bloom from the end of March to mid-May is a tourist attraction. More than 10 million wild yellow daffodils ( Narcissus pseudonarcissus ) bloom in the nature reserve . In addition to the Rureifel, only the Hunsrück in Germany offers these plants a habitat. The presenter Jean Pütz, known from various television programs, has been the godfather of the Narcissus Valleys for several years . Every year, the daffodil blooms attract tourists to the narrow valleys of Fuhrtsbach and Perlenbach , whose sources and initial course are located in the closed training area of ​​the Elsenborn military training area. Numerous “hiking suggestions”, also on the Internet, lead through or in the exercise room. Entering the practice room can be dangerous. Information on the respective exercises and the applicable safety zones can be found on the website of the municipality of Bütgenbach under announcements and large information boards directly at the border.

Threat to the nature reserve

While the remoteness of this nature reserve usually provides adequate protection, the situation changes during the daffodil bloom in spring. Large numbers of visitors wander through the daffodil fields. Despite an absolute ban on picking and the increased sense of responsibility on the part of visitors, the designated hiking trails are still being abandoned, some daffodils are picked and rubbish is thrown into the meadows.

Web links

Commons : Perlenbach  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal" nature reserve (ACK-004) in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia , accessed on March 25, 2017.
  2. ↑ Natura 2000 area "Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal" in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia , accessed on March 25, 2017.
  3. ↑ DE-5403-301 Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal.  (FFH area) Profiles of the Natura 2000 areas. Published by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation . Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  4. ↑ Target practice at the Elsenborn military training area. (No longer available online.) Bütgenbach community, archived from the original on January 9, 2016 ; accessed on January 9, 2016 .