Zarth nature reserve

	Zarth nature reserve IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
	Zarth nature reserve
location	Brandenburg , Germany
surface	262 ha
WDPA ID	14401
Geographical location	52 ° 5 ' N , 12 ° 55' E Coordinates: 52 ° 5 '27 " N , 12 ° 54' 44" E
Setup date	1961
administration	Bird Protection Committee (VsK)

The reserve Zarth is a turn 262 hectares large FFH area on the district of the city Treuenbrietzen in Potsdam-Mittelmark in the state of Brandenburg .

Location and etymology

The nature reserve is located in the southwest of the Nuthe-Nieplitz nature park and there east of the town center of Treuenbrietzen. To the north are the Budorfsche Heide and the Treuenbrietzen district of Niebel . This is followed in a clockwise direction by the other districts of Niebelhorst and the Treuenbrietzener and Bardenitzer Wiesen, Bardenitz , Klausdorf , the Bardenitzer Heide and Frohnsdorf .

The name is derived from the Slavic chert or cart , which means something like devil . This is why the nature reserve is popularly known as the Devil's Forest. The FFH area is part of the Nuthetal – Beelitzer Sander landscape protection area .

history

Old peat pond

Naturally, the Zarth lies in the border area between the northern Fläming-Waldhügelland and the Glogau-Baruther glacial valley . It was formed around 20,000 years ago at the end of the last Glaciation of the Vistula , when the glaciers gradually retreated. In the process, a 200-hectare low - lying forest was created in what is known as a discharge tank, as well as numerous bogs and bodies of water up to 4.5 m thick on around 50 hectares . They are supplied from sources in Fläming . In the places where there was no vegetation , the loose valley sand was blown out to areas where groundwater was taken. This created high groundwater levels, which led to the formation of the fen.

In the 19th century, farmers began digging peat in the part to the west near Treuenbrietzen . They drained the wet areas there, which from then on were used for hay extraction and were given the name Große Freiheit . In the adjacent forest to the east, firewood was obtained on the one hand, and on the other it served as a hut forest . He is also known as Alt-Zarth . The first cartographic representation dates from 1780.

In July 2007 a bird protection committee (VsK) acquired around 95% of the Zarth from the city of Treuenbrietzen. The remaining five percent are privately owned. One of the measures taken by the committee consisted of the sealing of the artificial spring ditches in the south of the area, which began in 2014, and the installation of support sleepers in the flowing waters. This enabled the water level in the area to be increased. The work was completed in May 2015.

construction

The western area consists largely of meadow areas, for example the Klostermathen meadow on the north-western edge . This is followed by the old peat pond to the south . To the east of this is the smaller new peat pond . They arose from the extraction of peat and were filled with spring water after the extraction had ended. To the east of the two ponds is the Große Freiheit , to which the Kleine Freiheit adjoins in the south - both open landscapes that were created by the removal of trees. Further to the east, the Wendewasser meadow begins the transition to the more wooded area of Alt-Zarth , to which - outside the border of the nature reserve - the Burgwall field , which is used for agriculture, is connected. The water-rich area is traversed by numerous brooks, which are fed by spring water from the Fläming on the southern edge. They largely flow from south to north. These are - from west to east - the Waldbach, the Wendewasser, the Kupferbach and the Schwarze Bach. The Bardenitzer Fliess flows along the eastern border . The Freedom Canal runs north of the Neuer Torfteich to the northeast .

A memorial stone in the western access area commemorates Eduard Prinke (1939–2013), who was the deputy head of nature protection in the Jüterbog district administration and who campaigned for the Zarth to be protected. A path marked as a landscape tour leads from Treuenbrietzen or Bardenitz into the area. To the south of the forest area, the mill tour route 1 leads past the area.

Flora and fauna

Turning water

In the particularly humid areas, black alder and ash as well as a common oak-hornbeam forest thrive on the higher, sandy-loamy sites. In addition to five different types of orchid , another 340 plants were counted, including the rare flesh-colored orchid , the caraway-leaved silge , the dyer's notch , adder tongues , the dull-flowered bulrush and the carnation . 44 plant species are on the red list .

More than 90 different breeding bird species live in the forest, including the rare black stork , which finds its food in the streams. The European pond turtle , forest lizards , pine marten , common toad , narrow diaper snail and otter live there . The air is, among others, cranes , snipe , the middle spotted woodpecker , the kingfisher and kites populated. In addition, 13 bat species were detected, including mouse- eared bats and pug bats . In 2009, 35 species of butterflies and two species of ram were detected.

development

For the state of Brandenburg, the restoration and maintenance of higher water levels and increasing water retention are among the most important measures. Furthermore, the existing rivers should be made open again. In order to further develop the wet meadows and moors, they should be rejuvenated with suitable tree species. The red oak and the spruce should be pushed back at the same time, whereby existing eyrie and cave trees should be protected. In addition, the bog, floodplain and swamp forests should not be used for forestry purposes. An extended touristic use should not take place; however, the existing hiking trail will be retained.

literature

State Office for Environment, Health and Consumer Protection (ed.): Management plan Natura 2000 in the state of Brandenburg, Management plan for the Zarth area , November 2014, p. 43.
State Office for Environment, Health and Consumer Protection (Ed.): Nature reserve Zarth - Der "Teufelswald" , flyer, no date, p. 6.

Web links

Commons : Naturschutzgebiet Zarth - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

World Database on Protected Areas - conservation area Zarth (English)

Individual evidence

↑ State Office for Environment, Health and Consumer Protection (ed.): Nature reserve Zarth - Der "Teufelswald" , flyer, no date, p. 6.
↑ Gertraud Behrendt: The devil's forest on the great freedom . In: Märkische Allgemeine , June 11, 2015, accessed on November 30, 2018.
↑ Information board : NSG Zarth , set up at the western entrance, December 2018.
↑ Zarth-Teufelswald , website of the Society for the Promotion of Bird Protection, Nature, Animal and Life Protection, accessed on November 30, 2018.

[1] State Office for Environment, Health and Consumer Protection (ed.): Nature reserve Zarth - Der "Teufelswald" , flyer, no date, p. 6.

[2] Gertraud Behrendt: The devil's forest on the great freedom . In: Märkische Allgemeine , June 11, 2015, accessed on November 30, 2018.

[3] Information board : NSG Zarth , set up at the western entrance, December 2018.

[4] Zarth-Teufelswald , website of the Society for the Promotion of Bird Protection, Nature, Animal and Life Protection, accessed on November 30, 2018.