BUND Nature conservation



In 2020, Moving Child also included environmental protection in its funding program. The first project with a conservation focus was carried out by a working group of the BUND Naturschutz (= nature conservation). The Innau meadows near Waldkraiburg are of national importance as a Natura2000 area. But as in almost all floodplains in Bavaria, the water balance is no longer intact; One consequence of the disturbed conditions is the mass expansion of Impatiens glandulifera, an introduced plant species that displaces the native floodplain vegetation. On an area in the alluvial forest near Waldkraiburg that was completely dominated by impatiens, grazing with cattle was initiated in order to push back the spread of the plants. It was hoped that this would promote the near-natural floodplain vegetation as well as species that require open habitats in the sun, such as sand lizards, yellow-bellied toads, and grass snakes. After just two weeks of this project, the cattle had almost completely eliminated the impatiens. It was both grazed and trampled. Over the next few years, the project will continue to observe how the vegetation will develop and it is planned to organise grazing events with cattle each summer.