Kickoff and Grant Award Ceremony: The Krautsand Large-Scale Nature Conservation Project

The initial impetus came from Kai Seefried, District Administrator of the Stade District, who highlighted the project’s significance for the Stade District and the region and emphasized the spirit of cooperation behind the project. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider then drew attention to the project’s supraregional importance. The federal government is supporting the second phase of this major nature conservation project with approximately 12 million euros. Among other things, the goal is to give the tide more space again, strengthen natural aquatic landscapes, and thereby contribute to climate protection and flood control. This was followed by a welcome address from Lower Saxony’s Minister of the Environment, Christian Meyer. The state of Lower Saxony is also supporting the project with a substantial grant and emphasized the opportunity to combine nature conservation, coastal protection, and waterway maintenance. Krautsand, in particular, demonstrates that ecological development and coastal protection requirements must be considered together. Katharina Samson, Director of Nature Conservation at WWF Germany, concluded the series of welcoming remarks. The WWF is implementing the project together with the NABU Foundation for National Natural Heritage as the project sponsor and initiator. Ms. Samson made it clear that with the start of the implementation phase, concrete steps toward the ecological development of Krautsand can now begin. Following the opening remarks, Beatrice Claus, project manager for the large-scale Krautsand nature conservation project at WWF Germany, presented the project’s goals and planned measures. Among other things, the project aims to re-establish a stronger connection between the side channels and former tidal creeks at Krautsand and the tidal cycle, and to develop valuable habitats for fish, birds, insects, and plants. A particular focus of the subsequent panel discussion was on the interplay between waterways and coastal protection. Together with Joachim Abratis, Deputy Director of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration, and Dr. Albert Böhlke, Dyke Master of the Kehdingen-Oste Dyke Association, the various demands placed on the natural environment were discussed. How can renaturation be reconciled with the safe operation of the federal waterway? What opportunities does the project offer for more environmentally friendly waterway maintenance? And how can nature conservation and the necessary reinforcement of dike systems be integrated? This is precisely where one of the project’s particular strengths lies: Krautsand should not be viewed in isolation. The development of the natural environment is closely linked to the tidal Elbe, coastal protection, and the people who live and work in the region.