Between Hamburg and Bremen lies the fascinating river landscape of the Wümme lowlands – a unique complex of protected areas with diverse habitats. Of particular importance here are the grasslands in the river floodplain, which serve as a habitat for numerous species of wading birds. The Natura 2000 areas are important breeding grounds for rare species such as the Corncrake and the Whinchat, and therefore they are part of the LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats project areas.
To get to know this area better and to exchange knowledge on the protection of meadow birds, the parts of the German LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats team met at the Nature Conservation Station Wümme on 10 September 2025. The NLWKN staff manage the Natura 2000 area 038 Wümme Lowlands from there. The excursion began with a short presentation providing an overview of the area's special features. This was the perfect basis for the subsequent discussions on area development, shrub management, and measures for water retention and optimisation of the groundwater level.
The first stop took the group to the river dunes near Unterstedt and the grasslands south of Rotenburg an der Wümme. This is where money from the funding programme “Preservation and Development of Biological Diversity” (“Erhalt und Entwicklung der Biologischen Vielfalt”, BiolV) will be used to improve habitats for meadow birds. There is a particular focus on the Whinchat, which is threatened with extinction in Lower Saxony. Also, on state-owned areas designated for nature conservation, fallow land is to be reused in order to create suitable habitat conditions for the Corncrake.
The second stop was at state-owned nature conservation areas near Waffensen. In recent years, male Corncrakes have been regularly observed calling on the grasslands of the adjacent Wümme lowlands. Typically, the nutrient-poor lowland meadows are mowed between the beginning of June and the end of July to preserve their biodiversity. However, breeding Corncrakes need very late mowing, starting in mid-August, in order to raise their chicks to the point where they can leave the area on their own. Here, important agreements on mowing control were reached through direct cooperation between the Nature Conservation Station and local tenants.
The last stop of the excursion was a visit to see measures being taken to raise the groundwater level near Hellwege. Dams and support thresholds help to keep the water in the area for longer – an important basis for the species-rich flora and fauna. Dr. Burghard Wittig from the Nature Conservation Station Wümme also explained exciting details about mowing and seed transfer to further improve the habitats.
The day offered the group valuable insights into the diverse protected areas of the Wümme lowlands. The lively discussions about the development of the protected area, the work of the Nature Conservation Station, the plans of the LIFE project, and the cooperation with local actors were important parts of the excursion, providing new ideas and perspectives on effective meadow bird conservation.
