Low in nutrients but rich in biodiversity: nutrient-poor grasslands

Although poor grassland was fairly prolific until quite recently, nowadays it has all but disappeared. As they started to disappear, so did countless animal and plant species. Purchasing poor grassland is a small step towards changing this trend.

Many plants with low nutrient requirements

Poor grasslands owe their name to the fact that in comparison to rich meadows, their soil only contains a very small amount of nutrients, particularly nitrogen. A large number of plants requiring few nutrients have specialised themselves for this terrain. Such grasslands are filled with life and not, or only to little extent, fertilised. They are used for grazing or alternatively mown once or twice a year.

Flowery nutrient-poor grasslands are disappearing

Poor grasslands are full of flowers. They offer a habitat to a great range of animal and plant species. Although up until a few decades poor grasslands could be found anywhere, the decrease in grazing as part of farming and our agriculture’s increasing industrialisation is making these ecosystems disappear. Nutrient-poor grasslands are basically no longer profitable and are therefore converted by spreading fertiliser or reafforestation. As the poor grasslands disappear, so does the unique biodiversity of our countryside. Only very few remain; one of these can be found in the Krebsbachtal in the Taunus. This is where, together with HGON, we want to preserve this ecosystem. Get involved! Just 5€ will enable you to permanently safeguard land for our environment. Protect land directly for our environmentThe red-backed shrike aka the "butcher" birdThe playful butterflyBasic data: protect biodiverse nutrient-poor grassland in the Taunus area