The Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Park (german: Naturpark Elbhöhen-Wendland), formerly known as the Elbufer-Drawehn Nature Park (''Naturpark Elbufer-Drawehn'') is a German
nature park
A nature park, or sometimes natural park, is a designation for a protected natural area by means of long-term land planning, sustainable resource management and limitation of agricultural and real estate developments. These valuable landscape ...
east of
Lüneburg in
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
.
Geography
Location
The nature park lies mainly in
Lüchow-Dannenberg and, after being extended in 2006, covers the majority of this rural district. It has an area of about and belongs to some of the most sparsely populated areas in Germany. The park originally included two very different geographical regions from which it derived its name:
*the ridge of
Drawehn
The Drawehn is a partly wooded and partly agricultural region of hills in the northeastern part of the German state of Lower Saxony, lying between the districts of Lüneburg and Uelzen in the west and Lüchow-Dannenberg in the east.
It is named af ...
in western Lüchow-Dannenberg
*the banks of the
Elbe River (''German: Elbufer'') in northern Lüchow-Dannenberg and partly in
Lüneburg district
Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...
Both landscapes were formed by the
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
. The Drawehn is an
end moraine from the
penultimate glaciation - a heap of rock debris pushed by the ice sheet and left behind at the end of the glacier. The Elbe valley by contrast was a
meltwater
Meltwater is water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice, tabular icebergs and ice shelves over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing. Meltwater can be ...
channel from the
last ice age.
History
The park was founded in 1968. It is part of the Elbe River Landscape (''Flusslandschaft Elbe''), which was designated as a
biosphere reserve by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in 1997 and overlaps with the Lower Saxon Elbe Water Meadows Biosphere Reserve (''Niedersächsische Elbtalaue Biosphärenreservat''). On 1 June 2006 the protected area of the nature park was increased to , almost double its previous size. In Germany the mere designation of an area as a
nature park
A nature park, or sometimes natural park, is a designation for a protected natural area by means of long-term land planning, sustainable resource management and limitation of agricultural and real estate developments. These valuable landscape ...
does not make it a strict nature conservation area, but is first and foremost to promote tourism.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation of the nature park varies depending on the relief and soil composition. The higher, sandy
podsol
In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of huma ...
soils supported extensive areas of heath until the 18th century. Today, following afforestation, they are covered by large pine forests. On clayey soils there are the remnants of a natural deciduous forest vegetation, especially in the
Göhrde. The better soils have been turned into arable fields.
The banks of the Elbe are under special protection as breeding, stopover and winter sites on the
bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...
routes between
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. During the summer months more than 150 species of bird breed here and
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
and
black storks,
cranes
Crane or cranes may refer to:
Common meanings
* Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird
* Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting
** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads
People and fictional characters
* Crane (surname), ...
,
heron
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
s and
white-tailed eagle
The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Palearctic, Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diur ...
s can be seen. In autumn and winter migrating cranes, ducks, geese and swans may be observed. The lower Middle Elbe basin with its rich water meadow is also of outstanding important for
amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...
s such as the
European fire-bellied toad
The European fire-bellied toad (''Bombina bombina'') is a species of fire-bellied toad native to eastern parts of mainland Europe, where it can be found near waterbodies such as ponds and marshes. It is known for its red colored belly used to war ...
, the
European tree frog and the
moor frog
The moor frog (''Rana arvalis'') is a slim, reddish-brown, semiaquatic amphibian native to Europe and Asia. Moor frogs are known for their ability to freeze solid and survive thawing. The frog makes use of various cryoprotectants i.e. antifreeze ...
.
See also
*
List of nature parks in Germany
External links
Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Parkat www.umwelt.niedersachsen.de.
Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Parkat www.reiseland-niedersachsen.de.
Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Parkat www.luechow-dannenberg.de.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elbhohen-Wendland Nature Park
Nature parks in Lower Saxony