PG on the “Buckelwiesen” (hummocky meadows)

This year, our project group (PG) met right in the middle of our study area. Participants had the chance to admire the impressive species richness of the biodiversity hotspot “Niederwerdenfeler Land”. The focus was on the “Buckelwiesen” – calcareous grasslands that, due to prevailing hydrological and geological conditions, are closely linked with other special habitats such as calcareous fens and mat-grass meadows. This diverse state has often been lost in recent decades due to the abandonment of land-use. Our project aims to partially reverse this loss. To secure the area in the long term, the “Buckelwiesen” will be transferred to contract-based nature conservation after restoration. The “Buckelwiesen” are not only a biodiversity hotspot but also the habitat of our target species, the Marsh Fritillary, which is protected across Europe. Despite less-than-ideal weather, the butterfly made an appearance and delighted our PAG participants.

The tour of the restoration areas led us to two types of sites in relation to our target species. First, the restoration of calcareous grasslands is intended to expand the habitat for the Marsh Fritillary, helping to counteract the risk of extinction. A further focus of the restoration areas, based on previous study results, was the creation of corridors essential for this metapopulation species with limited dispersal ability. As the weather continued to improve, we were able to visit several parts of our diverse study area.