Nature conservation project for Leipzig floodplain forest being developed

To save Leipzig's floodplain forest, the city and the Free State of Saxony are tackling a new nature conservation project. By November, a so-called project outline should be submitted to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, said Environment Minister Wolfram Günther on Tuesday. With the support of the federal government, dry watercourses in the northwestern part of the alluvial forest up to Schkeuditz are to be refilled and smaller floods are to be allowed again. In addition, the large-scale nature conservation project is about biotope development.

The future of the approximately 5700-hectare Leipzig floodplain forest is considered endangered. According to Günther, flood protection interventions from the past are primarily to blame for this. "The water regime is completely out of kilter," said the Green politician. Climate change and the consequences of lignite mining in the Leipzig region exacerbated the problem, he added. Günther made himself on Tuesday together with Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) a picture of the situation in the floodplain forest.

In the long term, he said, the goal is to develop a master plan for the area, which is unique in Europe. It should then cover an area from Pegau in the district of Leipzig to Schkeuditz in northern Saxony. However, this would be a "multi-generational task," Günther said. Until then, he said, it was important to keep implementing immediate measures. The city of Leipzig and the Free State were working together on this, but it would not work without financial support from the federal government.