Protection measures in the project area

In order to quickly improve the already bad living conditions of Armeria purpurea, 1.2 ha of trees and bushes in the core region of the nature reserve area had to be rooted out and the woods at the edge of the area had to be restrained. The removal of the logs was executed by a mobile cable railway, because it was difficult to get to the area and people wanted to spare the fen. Great logs were - if necessary - blown up in order to avoid the use of large clear-up machines.

In the region of the former wood a humus layer raised the ground. In order to obtain a regeneration of the typical vegetation of the fen, the roots and the humus layer had to be removed up to the gravel layer.
About 5000 m3 of soil were removed by small dump lorries via a way of planks that was 350 m long and especially built for this purpose.

In order to quickly raise the water level of the springs of the core region as well as the one of the neighbouring swampland walls of gravel have been thrown up in the spring leads.

However, the habitat of Armeria purpurea can only be saved in the long term by the rehabilitation of the disturbed water balance. Above all, for this purpose the dynamics and the quantity of the spring discharge have to be improved, so that the lime precipitation can also be reinforced. Only by these measures open empty spaces in the Schoenus dominated communities can keep on developing. This can only be obtained by measures aiming at the surroundings of the nature reserve area of the Benninger fen (project area) and it requires the purchase of the neighbouring area respectively its lease in the long term.