From BZ/dpa
Now the water points stay away from the wet. The Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation is sounding the alarm!
According to studies by the Federal Agency for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND) Berlin, many small bodies of water in Berlin are in poor condition. “If we don’t intervene immediately, we definitely have a significant problem,” said the specialist for species protection, Dirk Schäuble, on Thursday when the results were presented. As can be seen from the “Berlin Small Water Report”, more than half (51.5 percent) of the 157 small water bodies examined were dry or only contained residual water.
Water points in the districts of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Marzahn-Hellersdorf and Pankow were examined. Small bodies of water include natural ponds, ponds or ponds that are smaller than 10,000 square meters. The investigations took place in the summer of 2022. In particular, water bodies that are potential habitats for amphibians were taken into account. Classic garden ponds were not considered.
According to the report, almost a quarter of the water bodies (around 23 percent) are in an advanced state of silting up – which means that they are heavily overgrown, for example with reeds. One in five (around 20 percent) shows bush encroachment, i.e. a beginning or already reached forestation phase in which there is no more water.
According to the information, the reason for the decline in water is, among other things, excessive land and water consumption. The construction of houses and roads would seal areas. The lack of maintenance of the waters is also partly to blame. Climate change and too little rain would exacerbate the situation. The result: biotopes threatened to disappear, which ultimately had dramatic consequences for the animals. “It’s five to twelve for Berlin’s amphibians,” said Norbert Prauser from BUND, who carried out the investigations.
According to the studies, less than half (around 40 percent) of the small bodies of water examined offer good living conditions for amphibians, for example due to a permanent water level and opportunities for migration. Because of the rapidly declining amphibian population in Berlin, action must be taken quickly.
BUND Berlin demands, among other things, an immediate program to save 50 small bodies of water and the establishment of a stable financial base for the district offices for water maintenance. “It’s not enough to renaturate a pond, but then not provide any money for maintenance in the next few years,” said Schäuble. Some waters are lost, Prauser added, others could be revived.