Ruhraue nature reserve (Soest district)

Renaturation at real houses

View of the Ruhraue nature reserve near Hüninngen

Part of the Ruhraue nature reserve (areas to the left of the Ruhr)

The Ruhraue nature reserve (district of Soest) is a 370 hectare nature reserve (NSG) in the municipal areas of Wickede and Ense in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia . Parts of the area were designated as NSG by ordinance in 1985 by the Arnsberg district government . The NSG was designated in 2006 by the district council of the Soest district in its current size with the Ense-Wickede landscape plan. The NSG borders directly on the district border in the west and south. In the municipality of Fröndenberg in the Unna district , the Obergraben nature reserve is directly adjacent to the west of Wickede . In the city of Arnsberg in the Hochsauerlandkreis , the Ruhr Valley nature reserve borders directly in the south . The NSG was partially designated in 2004 as part of the FFH area Ruhr (No. DE-4614-303) with a size of 525 hectares or as part of the FFH area Ruhrstau bei Echthausen (No. DE-4413-301) with 110 hectares . Most of the NSG is located in the municipality of Wickede.

Area description

The NSG is the Ruhr and its floodplain in the municipality of Wickede. With its typical floodplain elements, the Ruhr presents itself here as a supraregional significant habitat for rare and endangered species of animals and plants typical of the landscape. The entire Ruhraue is very important for the biotope network due to its species inventory, its structural diversity and its near-natural habitats.

Species such as crested newt , brook lamprey , bullhead and pond bat have been identified in the NSG . From Annex II of the Habitats Directive was u. a. the following bird species were found: kingfisher , sand martin , little ringed plover , reed warbler , meadow pipit , water rail and little grebe .

Special rules for fishing and hunting

In the NSG there are special regulations for fishing and hunting due to its importance as a breeding, resting and wintering area for water birds. The practice of fishing is only allowed in certain areas and times.

Society hunts are prohibited in the NSG from January 1st to October 15th. Hunting from high seat and stalking is prohibited in the period from January 1st to June 30th on the banks of the Ruhr. Trapping is only allowed on muskrat . The training or testing of hunting dogs is prohibited in the NSG. Hunting waterfowl is prohibited in the core areas of the nature reserve. The mallard is exempt from the ban on water birds . The mallard may be hunted in the company hunt and on a total of 6 evenings, at different times depending on the core zone. Hunting mallard ducks in the NSG is prohibited all year round in the immediate vicinity of the Ruhr.

Protection purpose

The NSG is supposed to protect the Ruhr and the floodplain with their species inventory. As with all nature reserves in Germany, the protection designation indicated that the area was declared a nature reserve “because of the rarity, special character and beauty of the area”.