Rheinhalde Basel nature reserve

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Rheinhalde Kleinbasler side

The Rheinhalde nature reserve in Basel is the oldest official nature reserve in Switzerland .

Location and development

The Rheinhalde nature reserve is a bank slope in the very east of the city of Basel and the canton of Basel-Stadt on the right ( Kleinbasler ) side of the High Rhine, opposite the Birskopf on the left bank of the Rhine. The protected area extends in a narrow, elongated strip on the southern border of the Hirzbrunnen district between the Black Forest bridge (railway bridge) and the Swiss-Germany border, shortly after the Birsfelden hydropower plant . Its length is about 1.6 kilometers, the horizontally measured width 10 to 20 (maximum 50) meters. The strip is bounded on the land side by Grenzacherstrasse, which runs parallel to the bank above the slope and leads to Grenzach-Wyhlen in Germany via the immediately adjacent border crossing "Hörnli" .

Some paths run through the slope down to small fishermen's huts on the shore, also known as " gallows ". In 2004, the Canton of Basel-Stadt set up a nature trail with information boards along the main path, which runs more or less parallel to the slope in the upper area .

Protection status

The area was officially placed under protection by the government council of the canton of Basel-Stadt on February 12, 1913 due to the presence of thermophilic (heat-loving) flora and fauna. This makes it the oldest official nature reserve in Switzerland.

On the German side, the Rheinhalde as a landscape protection area (area number of the State Agency for Environmental Protection Baden-Württemberg (LfU): LSG 3.36.003) is part of the Natura 2000 area "Forests near Wyhlen" according to the European Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive . The entire German Natura 2000 area includes, in addition to the Rheinhalde, other protected areas in whole or in part: the Buchswald near Grenzach (NSG 3.018), the Ruschbachtal (NSG 3.150), the Altrhein Wyhlen (NSG 3.047), the Leuengraben (NSG 3.167) and the Grenzacher Horn .

Geology and microclimate

From a geological point of view, the Rheinhalde lies between the Jura on the left bank of the Rhine and the Dinkelberg on the right bank of the Rhine as the southernmost branch of the Black Forest . It is a decidedly dry biotope . The steep slope, which is fully sunlit due to its southern exposure, consists of Holocene river gravel from the Rheinaue, which has partially hardened to Nagelfluh .

flora

Shortly after it was placed under protection, 485 plant species were found in the area ( Becherer et al., 1922), an enormous number for an area of ​​this size. Many of the originally existing species, such as B. the common beard grass ( Bothriochloa ischaemum ), the timothy timothy ( Phleum phleoides ) and the common stone herb ( Alyssum alyssoides ) can no longer be found. Today, 180 different plant species are approximately mapped, still are some even under the protection of species standing or at least rare species there.

Since it was placed under protection , the ground has been increasingly shaded by the emergence of shrubs and trees, including some warmth- loving neophytes such as the tree of gods , and thus gradually deprived the livelihoods of the light and warmth-needing species. For a number of years now, the Basler Stadtgärtnerei, specialist center for nature and landscape protection, has been carrying out an annual maintenance operation in which this growth is thinned out in certain areas.

fauna

The Rheinhalde, also called Rheinbord, has the function of a migration and spreading corridor for warmth-loving animal and plant species and in the transition zone water-land a stepping stone biotope for salmon , beavers and other animals. The hillside forest is a bird's paradise. The green lizard and the praying mantis , which were still proven at the time of the protection , are no longer to be found today.

The oldest Basel discovered?

In March 2007, a scientist from the University of Wädenswil accidentally discovered a specimen of the earth weevil Raymondionymus marqueti in the area during comparative studies as part of a different research project . This beetle is a blind species that lives underground at a depth of up to 40 cm. Its main distribution area is actually in areas that were never covered by ice during the ice ages. The determination was confirmed by two specialist Basel scientists. The beetle find was initially referred to in press reports as a sensational glacial relic of the Tertiary , which has survived all Ice Ages and has therefore lived here as a species for 2 million years, quasi “by far the oldest in Basel”. It is the first finding of this beetle species in this natural area of ​​Central Europe. All other animal and plant species in the region only immigrated after the last ice age in the last 10,000 years. A scientist at the Institute for Biogeography at the University of Basel, however, doubts this representation without denying the discovery itself. He considers other reasons for the occurrence more likely, possibly a relatively recent introduction by humans through useful or ornamental plants from the Mediterranean area.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Only the Creux du Van area in the Neuchâtel Val de Travers , which was founded in 1876 by the private mountain and hiking club Club Jurassien , has only been officially protected since 1972. The Swiss National Park was placed under protection in 1914 as the first and to this day largest national park in the Alps and Central Europe.
  2. ^ University of Wädenswil: Sensational beetle find in Basel. March 6, 2007, archived from the original on September 27, 2007 ; Retrieved April 18, 2007 . Neue Zürcher Zeitung: A pre-glacial weevil in Basel? March 7, 2007, archived from the original on September 29, 2007 ; Retrieved April 18, 2007 . news.ch: The oldest Basel resident has lived at the knee of the Rhine for two million years. March 6, 2007, accessed April 18, 2007 . Pro Natura Basel: The importance of the beetle find for nature conservation in Basel. March 6, 2007, archived from the original on September 27, 2007 ; Retrieved April 18, 2007 .


  3. ↑ University of Basel: Is the supposedly oldest resident of Basel more of a youngster? (PDF) March 8, 2007, archived from the original on July 20, 2007 ; Retrieved April 18, 2007 .

Coordinates: 47 ° 33 ′ 41 "  N , 7 ° 37 ′ 24"  E ; CH1903:  613 901  /  267875