Basic data: Land for the beaver

The beaver, once extinct in Hesse, is slowly starting to spread out again. He transforms the landscape, creating new habitat for himself and numerous other species. Naturefund and the GNA bought and permanently secured 3.654 square metres of land for the beaver in the South Hessian Sinn valley.

Location

The land is located in the South Hessian Main-Kinzig area bordering Bavaria.

Size

3.654 square metres. We rounded up to 4.000 square metres, because one part of the donations will be used for the long-term conservation of the land.

Wildlife

Beaver, black stork, dipper, red-backed shrike, grey wagtail, sparrowhawk, goshawk, kestrel, common buzzard, bullhead, brook lamprey, Schwarzblauer Ameisenbläuling, Wasserfledermaus, Großer Abendsegler, Zwergfledermaus;

Flora

Under water vegetation of the river Schmale Sinn: Stream water-crowfoot, common water moss, water starwort, various-leaved water-starwort;
Herbal layer: Meadowsweet, quaking-grass, wood stitchwort;
Shrub layer: European spindle tree, black cherry, snowball bush, willow.

Special characteristics

The river 'Schmale Sinn' meanders through the valley. An alder-ash riparian forest and a moist oak-hornbeam forest accompany the stream. Reeds and cane brake are interspersed in the wet meadowland. It is here, where 3 to 4 beavers have their territory - complete with lodge and dam. The area is called 'Schmale Sinn Oberzell frontier' and is part of the FFH-domain 'Biberlebensraum Hessischer Spessart' (5723-307).

Partners

The 'Gesellschaft für Naturschutz und Auenentwicklung' (short: GNA), or the Association for Nature Conservation and Wetland Development in English, is Naturefund's partner in this project and is now owner of the site. The GNA will protect and conserve the land for the beaver long-term.

Concept for protection

It is our goal to secure habitat for the beaver, so that its lanscape-transforming activities do not conflict with the agricultural use of land by humans. The site we bought in the Sinn valley will be left to itself for nature and wildlife to do with as they wish.

History

For the past 20 years, the beaver has been spreading again in Hesse. The beaver now has territories not only in the Main-Kinzig area, but also in the rural districts Fulda and Hersfeld-Rothenburg, in the Wetterau, and in the Odenwald region. In the Main-Kinzig area live approximately 132 beavers in 44 territories. In all of Hesse, however, there are only 168 animals in 51 territories (from: 'Biber in Hessen', Kartierung der Biber im Jahr 2008, Jahresbericht Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt). Join us and help us to buy more land for nature! To our current projectMore about the beavers in the Sinn valleyMore about natural river coursesMore about the riparian forest at the river Sinn