The Green Belt as a European Ecological Network strengths and gaps

Norbert Grosser, Valeska Krebs
ENERGY WOOD USE AS A MEASURE OF LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT – AN APPROACH TO PRESERVATION
OF BIODIVERSITY IN THE GREEN BELT?
bird species Locustella naevia (BODDAERT, 1783) and Lanius collurio (LINNAEUS, 1758) an
improvement will appear alone by the change of the structure. Some butterflies species will
profit only from the measure when the supplies of her food plants could recover, for example
Polyommatus thersites (CANTENER, 1835) whose larvae feed on Onobrychis viciifolia.
Table 1: Numbers of species, status quo at the project area „Straufhain“.
Animal group
Butterflies
Burnet moths
Locusts
Birds
Total
number of
species
57
5
17
38
Endangered
in Thuringia
[6]
20
1
4
5
Endangered
in Germany
[7]
34
4
2
9
Protected in
Germany
[8]
25
5
0
38
Protected in
Europa [9]
0
0
0
5
To ensure the preservation of the species for a long term it is important that also after
the wood harvesting by the research project a land use by grazing or mowing quickly follows,
as possible already during the next vegetation period. In case of the "Straufhain" a land use by
mowing is planned. Thereby the dispersal of Calamagrostis should be avoided in the
harvested areas. This measure is in conflict with habitat requirements of Pyrgus armoricanus
(OBERTHUR, 1910) extinct according to red data list of Thuringia in 2001 but observed in
Straufhain area and other areas in the green belt. Potentilla species (reptans, erecta,
tabernaemontani [10]) as foodplant of the P. armoricanus larvae are more supported by
grazing than by planned mowing.
Therefore there is no simple management scheme for all areas in the project. The idea
must be to realize a concept with priorities for the value and preservation of biotopes, their
complexes and single strong protected species. We have to search for a concept of harvesting
shrubs and trees as “energy wood”, followed by suitable land use to reach a good condition of
populations of the most endangered species and their habitats. These concepts depend on
regional and local climatic factors, other natural conditions, management possibilities, the
ability of nature conservation authorities to cooperate with land owners and land users. One of
the modules in this frame is the possibility of harvesting and use of energy wood.
4. CONCLUSIONS
A big chance for the preservation and the support of the biodiversity in Germany has
originated based on the former inner German boundary. Biodiversity in the green belt is the
result of different land use or misuse in the past. Only extensive land management after the
end of German separation leads to a mosaic of natural and seminatural biotopes as the basis of
species diversity. The natural development of succession gives us a picture of different wood
biotopes suppressing different grassland and heather biotopes.
Using the wood from landscape conservation to get energy from renewable sources
should be an option for landscape management. Harvesting energy wood in such areas is one
method to get an equilibrium between open and wood biotopes. However it is necessary to
know the periods between harvest activities and also the other management measures
following the harvest to reach the aims of nature conservation. Natural requirements of
biotope and species existence have to be introduced in the management planning.
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