Westerweiden nature reserve

Westerweiden nature reserve IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
location	Hamburg , Germany
surface	64 ha
WDPA ID	166274
Geographical location	53 ° 31 '  N , 9 ° 50'  E Coordinates: 53 ° 31 '25 "  N , 9 ° 50' 20"  E
Setup date	1989/1996
administration	BSU

The Westerweiden nature reserve is a river marsh area on the Elbe in Hamburg - Finkenwerder .

Today's NSG Westerweiden (70 ha) and the Finkenwerder Süderelbe nature reserve (100 ha) were placed under protection in 1989 as a common area of ​​the Alte Süderelbe nature reserve . In 1997 the area was divided into two nature reserves.

In the area of ​​the Westerweiden fruit growing and pasture farming were carried out. Even today there are still horses on the fields. The southern parts of the area are under process protection and are overgrown by tall herbaceous vegetation that merges into the reed belt.

flora

From the Finkenwerder Westerdeich on the eastern border of the nature reserve lies extensively farmed grassland with ditches. Comb grass , mild knotweed and bleacher speedwell grow here . A species-rich flora thrives on the ditches: swan flower , splaying water crowfoot and elder-leaved valerian are found here.

fauna

There are populations of breeding meadow birds and, in winter, of resting geese. The populations of meadow birds have declined due to the drying up of areas in the past and the associated restriction of the soil's ability to poke. Marsh harrier and teal duck breed in the reed belt. Bag- titans have been observed in the reed belt .

The sea ​​frog is a typical inhabitant of the floodplains and has the largest occurrence in Hamburg with over 150 individuals. More than 300 species of night butterflies are found in the area.

Literature and publications

• Ingo Möller and Dietbert Thannheiser: Nature reserves in the south of Hamburg. Hamburger Geographische Studien, Heft 48, 1999, pp. 239-259.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ hamburg.de: NSG Finkenwerder Süderelbe, NSG Westerweiden

Web links

Commons : Westerweiden  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Old South Elbe