November 2016
The working group of the LIFE project Floodplain Amphibians met in Neu Darchau at the River Elbe. The first new ponds created
for the fire-bellied toad were visited. The working group, consisting of relevant District Councils, representatives of the federal Lower Saxony Agency for Hydrology, Coastal and Nature
Protection, local groups of NABU and other nature conservation organisations and amphibian experts meets regularly.
This ensures an extensive knowledge exchange within the project and that all measures are carried out at a high quality technical level. This time the meeting took place in Neu Darchau within the
area of the Biosphere Reserve River Elbe in Lower Saxony. Project lead Dr Markus Richter (NABU Lower Saxony), Rebecca Heiligtag (Biosphere Reserve Administration) and Ute Thiergärtner as well as
Florian Bibelriether (Amphi International ApS) presented the latest state of play of the project.
After that, the working group visited the first creation measures for the fire-bellied toads on site. Within the area of “Großer und Kleiner See” (Large and Small Lake) in the Parish of Neuhaus
the project has created ten new ponds and restored three existing ones.
In addition, small and large ditches were blocked causing water-filled ditches and shallow floodings complementing the offer of different types of water bodies. Florian Bibelriether explained:
“The fire-bellied toad needs different types of waterbodies throughout the year. All habitat requirements of this species can only be met if different types of waterbodies are on offer.”
Photo:
Florian Bibelriether of Amphi International ApS (right hand side) explains the building measures (Marion Müller, NABU Lower Saxony)