Wahlbach Heath

Wahlbach Heath
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location	Contwig , Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany
surface	7.44 ha
Identifier	7340-074
WDPA ID	166129
Geographical location	49 ° 13 '  N , 7 ° 27'  E Coordinates: 49 ° 13 '23 "  N , 7 ° 26' 38"  E
Setup date	June 19, 1985

The nature reserve Wahlbacher Heide is located in the district of Südwestpfalz in Rhineland-Palatinate .

description

The approximately 7 hectare area, which was placed under nature protection in 1985 , is located south of Contwig , Verbandsgemeinde Zweibrücken-Land and north of federal motorway 8 . The sickle-shaped nature reserve with a diameter of around 500 m is bounded in the south by the K 84 district road, in the north it extends to Werderhof. The road from K & 84 to Wahlbacherhof cuts the area in two.

Protection purpose

The purpose of protection is the “preservation of the limestone grassland area and the adjacent woodland as a habitat and part of habitat for rare plant and animal species that are threatened in their existence, as well as their communities. The protection is also provided for scientific reasons. "

Flora and fauna

The Wahlbacher Heide is characterized by one of the largest limestone grasslands in the Western Palatinate on Lower Muschelkalk . The common juniper has one of its few and most important occurrences in the Palatinate.

A large number of special and rare plant species can be found in the Wahlbacher Heide, including various gentian plants such as common fringed gentian , cross gentian and German fringed gentian , which has its only known occurrence here in the West Palatinate. In addition, you can find various orchids here, such as Müller's stendelwort , broad-leaved stendelwort , helmet orchid or dogwort, as well as many other plants: common cumin , silver thistle , white forest bird , pasque flower , narrow-leaved flax or willow-leaved alant .

In addition to these plants, numerous animal species are resident here, including

• Butterflies such as one of the last occurrences of the speedwell piebald moth in the Zweibrücker Westrich , next to them for example silver-green blue , great mother-of-pearl and ram
• Grasshoppers such as the wart-biter , western bite-bug or heather grasshopper
• Birds such as the green woodpecker and rattle warbler
• Roman snail , slow worm , sand lizard and forest lizard

To maintain the dry grass, the areas in the nature reserve are regularly mowed and sheep grazed. Unwanted trees and shrubs are removed, in particular to promote the juniper population.

See also

• List of nature reserves in the district of Südwestpfalz

Web links

• World Database on Protected Areas - Wahlbacher Heide (English)
• NATURA 2000 management plan (BWP-2011-11-S) Part B: Measures FFH 6710-301 “Zweibrücker Land” VSG 6710-401 “Hornbach and side valleys”. Structure and Approval Directorate South, 2015, accessed on June 28, 2020 . 
• Otto Schmidt: Botanical and cultural excursion of the Botanical Working Group from June 2nd to 5th, 2006 in the area of ​​Zweibrücken, Saarpfalzkreis and Bliesgau. POLLICHIA Verein für Naturforschung und Landespflege eV, accessed on June 28, 2020 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Ordinance on the "Wahlbacher Heide" nature reserve. (PDF) June 19, 1985, accessed June 28, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Claudia Endres, Karin Feick-Müller, Jürgen Walter: NSG-ALBUM Wahlbacher Heide NSG 7340-074. State Office for the Environment, Water Management and Trade Inspection Rhineland-Palatinate, March 2014, accessed on June 28, 2020 .