50 years of nature conservation advisory board: A look at pioneering projects!

50 years of nature conservation advisory board: A look at pioneering projects!

Aschaffenburg, Deutschland - The nature conservation advisory board of the Aschaffenburg district celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The first constituent meeting took place on October 22, 1974 in the Aschaffenburg district office. Since then, the committee has accompanied numerous projects in the region, including the expansion of the bike paths, the use of hydropower at the Hahnenkammsee as well as the expansion of the A3 motorway between Hösbach and Rohrbrunn and the railway line between Laufach and Heigenbrücken. The decisions of the Nature Conservation Advisory Board are binding in accordance with Article 48 of the Bavarian Nature Conservation Act and must be included in the case of procedures and building permits that affect nature conservation issues.

Currently, the eleventh nature conservation advisory board consists of five voting members and five deputies. These were constituted on December 4, 2024, and the appeal certificates were presented by Andreas Zenglein (CSU), the deputy district administrator. The members include Lukas Nitzl (Forst) and Stefan Köhler (agriculture). The advisory board has changed over the years; Sessions took place in presence until 2020, since then also online. The advisory board uses these meetings to exchange ideas about important topics such as the protection of the habitat for rock -brooding bird species in the Hemsbach quarry or to discuss the “sand grass” project at the Jewish cemetery in Hörstein.

Legal requirements for nature conservation work

In addition to the current developments in the nature conservation advisory board, there are also clear legal requirements for nature conservation work. According to § 39 paragraph 5 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, no wooden cutting work on hedges, living fences and other trees may be carried out from March 1 to September 30 to protect the breeding season of the birds. This also applies to field and bank trees as well as trees outside of forests. Exceptions are only allowed for gentle form and care cuts to keep the plants healthy.

To ensure species protection, regular care work on hedges and field trees should take place in winter. In the case of construction work and felling, make sure that wild animals, such as bats, are not endangered. Violations of these nature conservation regulations can be punished with high fines, and for extensive private projects, an informal application to the responsible nature conservation authority is necessary, as is explained on the website of the Aschaffenburg district.

Further information on the tasks and current projects of the nature conservation advisory board can be found in the article by Main-echo On the website of the .