Nature reserve Weseler Aue and Leygraben near Flüren

NSG Weseler Aue and Leygraben near Flüren IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
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location	Wesel , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany
surface	119 ha
Identifier	WES-027
WDPA ID	166260
Natura 2000 ID	(FFH) DE-4203-401 (SPA) DE-4305-302 (FFH) DE-4203-401 (SPA)
FFH area	31 ha
Bird sanctuary	partially
Geographical location	51 ° 41 ′  N , 6 ° 35 ′  E Coordinates: 51 ° 40 ′ 41 ″  N , 6 ° 34 ′ 34 ″  E
Setup date	2009
Framework plan	Landscape plan area Wesel
administration	Lower landscape authority of Wesel district

Wesel Aue and Leygraben at Flüren is the name of a 119 hectare large nature reserve (NSG ID WES-027) in Wesel on the Lower Rhine. It is an area that lies on the artificially created Auesee and south and east of the Flüren district .

The nature reserve was established in 2009 and is an extension of the previously existing Weseler Aue nature reserve , which continues to exist with a similar layout as FFH area DE-4305-302 and has since taken up part of the NSG. Other parts of the nature reserve on the western shore of the lake are in the large EU bird sanctuary DE-4203-401 Unterer Niederrhein . These two NSG sub-areas are part of the European Natura 2000 network of protected areas .

location

While the Weseler Aue in a broader sense refers to a larger area west of the federal highway 8 including the Auesees, the nature reserve Weseler Aue and Leygraben near Flüren only encompasses 119 hectares of this area. It is an area of ​​land that extends from the northwestern bank of the Auesees along the entire north side of the lake to the northeastern bank. From the bank it extends for a few hundred meters into the adjacent landscape. Although the nature reserve begins at the edge of the Auesees, the water surface itself is only a small part of it. In addition, the bird island located near the north shore in the lake is part of the nature reserve. In its west the area is close to the Flüren district, in its east it is close to the northern Feldmark .

Landscape and Landscape History

The Rhine, which is now further west, once ran in the area of ​​the nature reserve . Since the last Ice Age, high-tide loam deposits in the area occurred when the Rhine flooded. This clay was held in the ground by the naturally existing alluvial forest and was of high quality, so that it was mined, especially in the 19th century, and burned into bricks at the edge of the floodplain. In 1963, the Auesees began to be graveled. The surrounding floodplain continued to be regularly flooded by the Rhine, which did not change fundamentally until 1986 with the construction of a new Rhine dike. The lack of flooding had a significant impact on the ecosystem in the following years and in some areas caused, for example, a significant decline in reed beds , which was replaced by the increasing encroachment of such areas. However, this is counteracted by means of a pumping system and the wetlands are partially preserved.

The terrain is almost completely flat, but there are clay excavations around one meter deep. The Leygraben runs 1.7 kilometers through the nature reserve. It only carries water at times and runs roughly parallel to the north shore of the Auesees at some distance. A hiking trail around the Auesee runs along the Leygraben. All around it are wooded trees and, in sections, artificially created rows of poplars and pollarded willows .

Occurring species

Among the occurring species include snipe , brown long-eared , Serotine , common toad , common frog , hawk , great crested newt , nightingale , oriole , pond frog , newt , tawny owl , long-eared owl and common pipistrelle . In today's Natura 2000 area Weseler Aue, Heck cattle have been grazed since 2004 . In the case of plants, types of grass, herbs and shrubs are particularly important.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Nature reserve "Weseler Aue and Leygraben near Flüren" (WES-027) in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia , accessed on July 25, 2017.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Entry on the “Weseler Aue” nature reserve with Leygraben and former clay stitches in the “ KuLaDig ” database of the Rhineland Regional Association , accessed on July 25, 2017.