Successful species protection in Hesse: Lynx and otter on the advance!

The year 2024 brings pleasant news for the species and nature conservation in Hesse. In Reinhardswald in northern Hesse, a young lynx was taken in front of the photo trap, which indicates the successful settlement program of the great predator.

As early as autumn 2023, a hunter had filmed a lynx with her four boys. Luchse had been resolved in Harz in Lower Saxony in the early 2000s because they were considered eradicated in Hesse for a long time. The last animal was killed almost 200 years ago.

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The otter, who was considered extinct in Hesse since the mid -20th century, has settled in new waters in the district of Gießen this year. The otter's existence is slowly increasing after he has been present again since 2013. In Hesse now, around 1,200 beavers lived from 18 animals that were exposed to the Spessart in the 1980s.

also the thyme anebled bleeding, a strongly endangered butterfly, has been documented on the Simhlsberg in the Rhön. Despite the shrinking habitat and extreme drying phases that put a strain on the species, the preservation of these specialists remains an important topic, as is emphasized in the 2013 report on the thyme ananis b wiring.

In Hesse, the quail king in 2024 has twice as many documented areas as in the previous year, so that it reaches almost 60 areas in total. Almost all breeding deposits of the quail king were protected by later mowing this year. The lignite, on the other hand, benefits from protective measures in the Lahn-Dill district, with 40 new areas since 2021, a total of over 280.

in Allendorf, North Hesse, special pasture posts and bamboo sticks for the brownishe were set up, which rose from one to seven. Furthermore, the groundwater levels in Hesse have recovered since September 2023 thanks to a rainfall surplus.

At almost two thirds of the Hessian measuring points, a high to very high level of groundwater levels will be reached in early December. The state program "100 Wild Streams for Hesse" was extended until 2027 to renaturalize 100 streams. The aim of this program is to promote climate protection and flood protection, whereby municipalities are supported from planning to implementation.