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Federal Environment Minister visits "Sheep Create Landscape" project
Image: University of KasselThe project aims to improve the framework conditions for sheep farms in the North Hesse region during its six-year term (2019-2025): The concept starts directly in the area, optimizes grazing corridors and grazing infrastructures, opens up new promising sales markets for sheep products, and ensures high-profile dissemination of the important conservation issue. In their combination, the measures are suitable to support the sheep farms in the project area as essential partners in nature conservation and landscape management. In addition, the broad approach of nature conservation, environmental education, public relations and regional development has succeeded in achieving a high level of acceptance and willingness to implement the measures among regional stakeholders and in raising public awareness of this important issue. Both factors are crucial for sustainable project success.
However, Minister Schulze's interest in her visit was not solely focused on the efforts made and successes achieved to date by the project team itself. Rather, she sought an exchange with the broad-based team from science, administration, practice and local politics in order to learn which political adjusting screws need to be turned in order to sustainably improve the framework conditions for the shepherds (sufficient remuneration, coexistence with the wolf, reduction of the bureaucratic burden and the risks of sanctions).
The nature reserve Kripp- und Hielöcher in Frankershausen (Berkatal) provided the appropriate backdrop for the visit, as the local grazing concept of the herding sheep farm Timmerberg celebrates its 25th anniversary. For the project, the area is a prime example of successful cooperation between shepherding and nature conservation stakeholders and, moreover, an important place to experience nature.
About the project: www.SchafLand17.de
Contact:
Dr. Anya Wichelhaus
Department of Landscape and Vegetation Ecology
Gottschalkstraße 26a
34127 Kassel
Tel: +49 561 804-7195
Mail: anya.wichelhaus[at]uni-kassel[dot]de