steppe grasslands in Thuringia

More often than not, steppe grasslands are interspersed
with submediterranean orchid-rich oligotrophic calcareous grasslands and calcareous areas colonized by pioneer
species. In the Bottendorfer Hügel nature conservation
area, they also occur in areas adjacent to calaminarian
grasslands.
In central Europe, there are only very small areas of
natural woodless dry and semi-dry grasslands. They are
limited to very steep, rocky, dry and warm sites. Far more
often, we find “secondary” dry and semi-dry grasslands
that have developed on abandoned fields and vineyards
with shallow soils over the last centuries. Their biodiversity can only be conserved if they are subject to sheep and
goat grazing on a regular basis.
What is life+? Launched in 1992, life (L’instrument financier pour l’environnement
– The Financial Instrument for the Environment) is the financial instrument of the
European Union supporting environmental and nature conservation projects. The
funding within the programme part life+ nature serves to protect habitats and
animal and plant species that are regarded as European Natural Heritage. The
funding is therefore restricted to areas proposed to be identified and designated by
the European Commission as Special Areas of Conservation (sacs) under the
Habitats Directive or Special Protection Areas (spas) under the Birds Directive.
Thus Life projects contribute to securing the European Natura 2000 network of
protected sites.
Ministry for Agriculture,
Forestry, Environment
and Nature Conservation
steppic grassland to gypsum hill
red horned poppy
(Glaucium corniculatum)
What are steppe grasslands and
where can they be found?
needle grass
(Stipa capillata)
life project
Conservation and
development of the
Contact: life project office of the tmlfun | Dipl.-Ing. (fh)
Kirstin Hofmann (project manager), Uhlandstraße 3,
99610 Sömmerda | e-mail: life-steppenrasen@
thueringen.de | www.steppenrasen.thueringen.de
telephone: +49-(0)3634-359-190 | fax: -359-193
Schwellenburg nature conservation area to the north-west of Erfurt
published by: Thuringian Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Nature Conservation, Beethovenstraße 3, 99096 Erfurt, e-mail: poststelle@tmlfun.thueringen.de, tel.: +49(0)-361-37-900 | edited by: life project office | production: Graphische Betriebe Weimar
| photos: life project office, Th. Becker, D.Stremke, H.Wiesbauer, K.Bogon | May 2010
steppe grasslands
in Thuringia
Steppe grasslands are dry grasslands and semi-dry grasslands dominated by great feather grass, spring pheasant’s
eye and other species that are continentally distributed.
They predominantly occur in areas with an average annual
precipitation of less than 500 millimetres. In Thuringia,
they are mainly found on the Keuper hills of the Thuringian Basin and in the Zechstein belt of the Ky¤häuser
Mountain and of the Bottendorfer Höhe. Small areas of
steppe grasslands also occur on dry and warm lime stone
hillsides and on the loess islands of the Hainleite area.
They can be regarded as the “outposts” of the steppe of
eastern Europe. The steppe grasslands on slopes with
shallow gypsum, clay or lime marl Rendzina soil that are
exposed to south and west sites often live under extreme
conditions: drought stress, weak soil development, wind
and water erosion, and they can even turn into “Badlands” – like those in the Drei-Gleichen area and the
Schwellenburg nature conservation area.
project areas with steppe grasslands in thuringia
The life+ nature project is managed by the Thuringian Ministry
for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Nature Conservation
(Thüringer Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Forsten, Umwelt und
Naturschutz – tmlfun). It comprises 13 project areas in the rural
districts Ky¤häuserkreis (excluding the Ky¤häuser Mountain), Sömmerda, Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Gotha, Ilmkreis and Erfurt, the state
capital. With a duration of six years (2009-2014) and a total budget
of five million Euros, more than 90 individual projects will be implemented. Due to the outstanding significance of this project, the
maximum funding rate of 75 percent has been granted by the European Commission. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the Free
State of Thuringia.
wip
How can steppe grasslands
be conserved?
B85
per
B86
Bad Frankenhausen
Sondershausen
1
1
Artern
Hachelbich
un
1
Reinsdorf
st
ru
t
The conservation will be assured by re-establishing and improving sheep and goat grazing. Therefore the life project
includes measures for biotope development such as
2
Heldrungen
I
Günserode
3
Sachsenburg
B4
Bottendorf
A71
I
I
I
Hemleben
Etzleben
B249
5
Grabe
Griefstedt
Günstedt
Weißensee
Altengottern
Straußfurt
un
Tunzenhausen
ru
Sömmerda
Nägelstedt
B85
Vogelsberg
12
Bad Langensalza
stemless mil vetch (Astragalus
exscapus) – a steppe relict species
project areas (sacs)
Kühnhausen
Witterda
9
Tiefthal
B247
B7
B7
Seebergen
11
A4
I
I
I
I
Erfurt
Gotha
pesticide and fertilizer depositions from adjacent fields
that are subject to intensive farming
forestation
quarrying
leisure activities (e. g. motocross)
gera
Nowadays, the major threat is posed by the abandonment of
traditional land use and by declining grazing intensity. This
results in woody plant succession: shrubs and trees reconquer
the sites and supplant those species that need light and a warm
climate. Further threats include:
Wandersleben
A4
10
Sülzenbrücken
B4
Mühlberg
t
täd
a
ls
pfe
1
Hainleite – Wipperdurchbruch – Kranichholz
2
Bottendorfer Hügel
3
Westliche Schmücke – Spatenberge
4
Hohe Schrecke – Finne
5
Trockenrasenkomplex nordöstlich
von Herrnschwende
6
Moorberg und Ziegenbeil nördlich
von Battgendorf
7
Kahler Berg und Drachenschwanz
bei Tunzenhausen
8
Brembacher Weinberge – Klausberg –
Scherkonde
9
Trockenrasen nordwestlich von Erfurt
10
Drei Gleichen
11
Seeberg – Siebleber Teich
12
nsg Unstruttal zwischen Nägelstedt
und Großvargula
13
Keuperhügel und Unstrutniederung
bei Mühlhausen
Haarhausen
Arnstadt
goats at the Drachenschwanz
steppe grasslands habitats in the project area
Elxleben
What are the threats to
steppe grasslands habitats?
Buttstädt
Kleinbrembach
A71
Gräfentonna
gera
small land snail
(Trochoidea geyeri)
8
Großvargula
restoring cattle tracks
building wells and drinking troughs
providing fences
If necessary, the above-mentioned measures will be supported
and safeguarded by land purchase. The good coordination of
maintenance and development plans will ensure the sustainable use of the funds.
Großneuhausen
t
Großengottern
I
Rastenberg
B176
st
I
Bachra
Leubingen
7
I
Großmonra
Kölleda
B84
Seebach
Battgendorf
A71
spring pheasant’s eye
(Adonis vernalis)
The life project will be supplemented by a comprehensive
awareness campaign:
I
karten: © graphische betriebe weimar
Bollstedt
t
Bothenheiligen
6
ru
Herrnschwende
13
The sheep-farming infrastructure will be improved by
4
Beichlingen
st
un
The project aims at the upgrading, the enlargement and the
long-term protection of the steppe grasslands. They shelter a
multitude of rare and endangered species of European conservation concern.
cutting woody plants
removing deposits
preserving heavily matted grasslands through the use of fire
creating new habitats for highly endangered species
(species protection measures)
I
I
I
creating information points and nature trails
establishing a permanent exhibition in Sömmerda
producing a film and a brochure
organising and conducting meetings and natural
history tours.