Protected areas

The Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park includes a variety of protected areas. These offer rare animal and plant species a safe environment and preserve their habitats in the long term.

Even the nature park itself is considered a protected area. With our Fields of action we contribute a large part to the preservation of natural habitats. By the way, a nature park in Hesse must have at least 40% of other protected area categories.

Therefore, some of the above can be used Protected areas also in the nature park find. You can find a map where you can view all protected areas in Hesse tickets & info.

Don't forget that Major nature conservation project. The comprehensive project to promote nature conservation in the region has been worked on and measures implemented for over a decade. Further information about the major nature conservation project is available tickets & info.

National Parks
Naturschutzgebiet to
Natura2000 (flora-fauna habitats and bird sanctuaries)
Legally protected biotopes
Biosphere reserves
Nature parks
Natural monuments
Natural forest reserves and protected forests
Core areas and habitat trees
National natural monuments
landscape protection areas

Protected areas

in the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park

National park

The National Park Kellerwald-Edersee is located in the north of our nature park. Just like the nature park, it is one of the national natural landscapes and has its own administration.
As one of 16 national parks across Germany, it has the task of “letting nature be nature”. Interference with nature is reduced to an absolute minimum here. This means that old stands of beech and oak trees can be preserved in the long term as an indispensable source of livelihood for red kites, black storks, woodpeckers and eagle owls, rare bats as well as wood-dwelling insects and fungi.
But this also requires us, the visitors, to behave particularly carefully. For example, you may not leave the designated paths, you may not take plants with you and you may not light campfires.

Naturschutzgebiet to

Another category that can be found in the nature park are the “classic” Naturschutzgebiet to. These are designated areas in which special protection of nature and landscape is required to preserve, develop or restore biotopes and communities of certain animal and plant species. In contrast to national parks, nature reserves are significantly smaller in area, but are similarly strictly protected. As a rule, the same behaviors also apply.

Natura2000 areas

Natura2000 forms another important protected area category in the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park. This consists of the areas covered by the Fauna-Flora-Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. The Natura2000 areas form Europe's largest network of protected areas. In the Natura2000 areas, certain rare plants, animals, habitats and all bird species are subject to special protection.

Bird sanctuaries

The bird sanctuaries, or VSG for short, protect all bird species that live in the Birds Directive are listed. In the nature park you can find, for example, the eagle owl, the kingfisher and the black stork, as well as representatives of the falcons and buzzards. Measures that improve the conservation status should be promoted and measures that worsen the conservation status should be avoided.

Examples:

Edersee shore near Herzhausen
Affoldern reservoir
Ederaue
Old field near Dainrode
Kellerwald

Fauna-flora habitats

The situation is similar in the fauna-flora-habitat areas (FFH). Certain plants, animals or habitats are protected here Habitats Directive are listed. Animal representatives include lynx, stag beetles, fire salamanders and a variety of butterflies and fish. In addition, plants such as the orchid, or entire habitats such as moors, beech forests, rock complexes and poor grassland areas.

Examples:

Forest area south of Densberg
High cellar
Forest area north of Fischbach
Urff between Hundsdorf and the mouth of the Schwalm
Bernertsgrund near Löhlbach
Sondertal and valley ditch near Bad Wildungen
Special rain near Bad Wildungen
Lower edron
Schrummbachsrain and Kalkrain near Giflitz
Bilstein near Bad Wildungen
Schartenberg near Reitzenhagen
Kellerwald
Edersee steep slopes
Edersee shore near Herzhausen
Upper Eder
Heath at the top mill near Frankenau
Poor grassland complex on Mittelberg near Frankenau
Affoldern reservoir

Natural monuments

Natural monuments are specially protected for scientific, natural history or regional reasons as well as because of their rarity. These are mostly landscape-defining relics from (cultural) historical times and, in contrast to the categories mentioned above, consist of individual point objects or small areas. In the nature park area these are often old solitary trees, such as the cemetery firs in Asel, or the well-known Hutewald Halloh near Albertshausen and the Buchenberg near Vöhl.