Tiefenbachwiesen near Rommerode

Tiefenbachwiesen near Rommerode IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
Blooming autumn crocus in late summer.
location	West of Rommerode , a district of the town of Großalmerode in the Werra-Meißner district in northern Hesse .
surface	38.36 hectares
Identifier	1636018
WDPA ID	165887
Geographical location	51 ° 14 '  N , 9 ° 45'  E Coordinates: 51 ° 14 '4 "  N , 9 ° 44' 32"  E
Sea level	from 460  m to 520  m
Setup date	March 1989
particularities	Special protection as a nature reserve and part of a Natura 2000 area.

The Tiefenbachwiesen near Rommerode are extensively used mountain meadows west of Rommerode in the Werra-Meißner district in northern Hesse . The often small, mostly family-owned parcels were delimited by hedges and cared for over generations. This formed a cultural landscape rich in borders, the remains of which are still present today. As an area that represents the diversity of habitats in grassland, parts of the meadows were declared a nature reserve in March 1989 . With expansion areas to the west and south of the Hirschberg they became part of the Europe-wide network of protected areas “ Natura 2000 ” under the name “Hirschberg- und Tiefenbachwiesen ”.

Geographical location

The protected areas are located southwest of the Hirschberg, the highest elevation of the Kaufunger Forest at 643  m . They are located at an altitude of 460  m to 520  m in the district of Rommerode of the city of Großalmerode in the Werra-Meißner district.

The reserve belongs to the " Geo-Naturpark Frau-Holle-Land ". In terms of natural space , it is assigned to the low mountain range of the “ Söhre ”, a sub-unit of the “ Fulda-Werra-Bergland ” in the far north of the main unit group “ Osthessisches Bergland ”.

Soil and climate

The primary rock in the area is the middle red sandstone , which is covered by tertiary clays and sands as well as layers of brown coal . The soils of the Tiefenbachwiesen are characterized by periglacial basalt rubble and loess deposits . The existence of the plants there suggests higher base contents . The areas of the protected area further away from the Hirschberg show vegetation units with borst grass lawns and heather that are more common on acidic, nutrient-poor substrates .

The mean precipitation values ​​are on average around 850 to 900 mm per year. The mean value of the annual temperature is 7 ° C. The low January temperatures around –2 ° C to –1 ° C and the low July temperatures around 15 ° C to 16 ° C characterize the climate as a cool, humid, montane climate in the transition from the suboceanic to the subcontinental area.

Protected position

Nature reserve

With an ordinance of March 1, 1989 of the regional council in Kassel , meadow areas at the foot of the Hirschberg west of Rommerode were declared a nature reserve. The purpose of the protection was "to secure and promote the wet, damp and poor meadows including nebulized grass lawns as well as the areas with woody plants and bushes as a location for rare and highly endangered plant species and as a habitat for endangered animal species." The nature reserve consists of four sub-areas a total area of ​​38.36 hectares, has the national identifier 1636018 and the WDPA code 165887.

Flora-fauna habitat area

As part of the Flora-Fauna-Habitat Directive , the Tiefenbach meadows and other neighboring meadow landscapes were reported by the State of Hesse to the EU for the Europe-wide network of protected areas "Natura 2000". Because of the occurrence of special habitats and species, the grassland areas have become an FFH area under the name "Hirschberg- und Tiefenbachwiesen" and have become an important part of the transnational network, which aims to promote biological diversity and preserve or restore natural habitats . With the "Ordinance on Natura 2000 areas in Hesse", the FFH area was legally secured in January 2008. The 141.6 hectare area has the FFH area number 4724-310 and the WDPA code 555520063. Half of the protected areas with the "Tiefenbachwiesen" are in the Werra-Meißner district and the other half with the "Hirschbergwiesen" in the district of Kassel , in the Wickenrode district of the Helsa municipality .

The dwarf bushes of common heather dominate the heather in the southern part of the Tiefenbachwiesen.

According to the collection of basic data from 2005, the mountain meadow and grassland communities typical of low mountain ranges with their high diversity of rare species are considered significant. Habitat types worthy of protection according to Annex I of the Habitats Directive are in the area

• "Dry heaths" in which the dwarf shrubs of common heather dominate.
• “Species-rich montane grass grass lawns” with arnica populations and numerous, sometimes highly endangered plants.
• “Lean, lowland hay meadows”, which are colorful and rich in species and whose floral composition is similar to that of the
• "Mountain hay meadows".
• "Lime-rich fens" with the occurrence of the characteristic species Davall's sedge , broad-leaved cottongrass and marsh stendrums as well as one
• "Alder-ash-alluvial forest" on the northern edge of the Hirschberg area.

The occurrence of the butterfly " Dunkler Wiesenknopf-Ameisenbläuling ", a species that is strictly protected according to Annex II of the Habitats Directive, was also decisive for the designation of the area .

nature

The largest area of ​​the four-part nature reserve is partly considered to be species-poor because of the more intensive use.

In the protected area, there are the extensively used mountain meadows typical of low mountain ranges, in which bristle grass lawns and, in places, water-affected, waterlogging areas are interspersed. The vegetation is made up of a mixture of species from the mountain and valley meadows, which are still present in sub-areas with a rich variety. The high number of montane plant species, which have become very rare below an altitude of 600  m, is remarkable . Of the proven flowering plants that are endangered or even threatened with extinction, several are particularly noticeable because of their bloom. These include broad-leaved orchid and globe flower with relatively large populations. For the spherical devil's claw , the Hirschberg is the northern corner of its distribution. Nordic bedstraw , bulging bulrush , swamp heart leaf , forest louse weed , soft pippau , green forest hyacinth and meadow flax leaf are other Red List species . There is no parcel in the area without the occurrence of one or more endangered plant species, only the largest area of ​​the four-part nature reserve is sometimes considered to be species-poor because of the more intensive use.

In the southern part of the Great Bachwiesen one of occurs heather , Deschampsia flexuosa and Agrostis capillaris dominated Heide. The stock includes other typical species such as thin-leaved fescue , bloodroot , blueberry , pill sedge and Harz bedstraw .

The habitat type of the grass turf, which is to be given priority protection, was originally created through less intensive use and has often been greatly changed through fertilization and grazing. In the Tiefenbachwiesen there are still numerous characteristic types of borst grass turf. In addition to the named borst grass and the medicinal plant arnica, forest lice herb , quendula cruciferous , brown sedge , marsh violet and Pyrenean toadflax can also be found.

The grasslands with the wetlands and woods once reuten offers Meadow Pipit , Whinchat and Red-backed Shrike suitable breeding grounds.

As part of the investigations for the collection of basic data, several rare, protected and threatened butterfly species were observed in 2002 and 2005 . In addition to the dark blue butterfly , which is endangered throughout Europe, is regarded as a key species and special protected areas must be designated for its conservation, there were the small cube-headed butterflies , pea butterflies , round-eyed carrot butterflies , purple gold fire butterflies , brown fire butterflies , Yellow-cubed thick-headed butterfly and golden eight as well as the moth plantain bear . Of the Widderchen the Red List species were Adscita Statices and ZYGAENA VICIAE found.

Tourist development

The meadows are easy to see from farm roads , for which Rommerode, Wickenrode and Friedrichsbrück are suitable nearby starting points. A stage of the 84 km long “Grimmsteig” circular hiking trail leads through the area. In the north-eastern area of ​​the reserve, hikers will find a refuge, benches and tables as well as display boards that provide information about the meadows worthy of protection.

literature

• Lothar and Sieglinde Nitsche, Marcus Schmidt: Nature Reserves in Hessen, Volume 3 . cognitio Verlag, Niedenstein 2005, ISBN 3-932583-13-2 .
• Neckermann & Achterhold on behalf of the Kassel Regional Council: Basic data collection 2005 on the FFH area Hirschberg- and Tiefenbachwiesen. Final report . Cölbe January 31, 2006.

Web links

Commons : Tiefenbachwiesen nature reserve near Rommerode  - collection of images

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Classification of natural areas according to Otto Klausing in the Hessen Environmental Atlas at atlas.umwelt.hessen.de ; accessed on October 12, 2019.
2. ^ ^{A b c d} Neckermann & Achterhold: Basic data collection 2005 for the FFH area "Hirschberg- und Tiefenbachwiesen" . Final report, Cölbe, 2006.
3. ↑ Quoted from the ordinance on the nature reserve "Tiefenbachwiesen bei Rommerode" of March 1, 1989 in the State Gazette for the State of Hesse, edition 12/89 of March 20, 1989, pp. 750 f.
4. ^ "Tiefenbachwiesen bei Rommerode" in the world database on protected areas; accessed on October 12, 2019.
5. ^ Ordinance on the Natura 2000 areas in Hesse of January 16, 2008, in the Law and Ordinance Gazette for the State of Hesse, Part I, No. 4, of March 7, 2008.
6. ^ FFH area “Hirschberg- und Tiefenbachwiesen” in the world database on protected areas; accessed on October 12, 2019.
7. ↑ List of habitats occurring in Germany in Appendix I of the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive; accessed on October 12, 2019.
8. ↑ Profile of the FFH area 4724-310 “Hirschberg- und Tiefenbachwiesen” on the website of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN); accessed on October 12, 2019.
9. ↑ ^{a b} Lothar and Sieglinde Nitsche, Marcus Schmidt: Nature reserves in Hessen, Volume 3 .
10. ↑ Information on the “Grimmsteig” on wiki voyage; accessed on October 12, 2019.