Nature's 'beech' head

UNESCO recently declared five of Germany's beech forests World Natural Heritage sites. This puts them on a list that includes the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos islands.

Only fragments of Germany's primeval beech forests have survived to the present day, including the "Kellerwald-Edersee National Park" in the state of Hesse. These days there is an absolute ban on exploiting any of the trees in the forest, including the oak and pines which now grow there.

But in addition to protecting the trees, the park's authorities have also been working on repopulating one square kilometer of the forest's 6,000 hectares with its original animal species. Among other things, the goal is to teach children about the importance of the forest for wildlife.

Bring back the otters

There was a time when otters were common in rivers and streams throughout this part of Europe. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, most European otters died as a result of pollution from pesticide-use, while others were hunted for their fur.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recognized the species as "near threatened" since 2001.

Although park policy is to repopulate the reserve with European species that once lived in the forest, the otters here today actually come from North America - a compromise, explained Kellerwald-Edersee National Park Head Ranger Albert Hernold.

"We decided to bring over the Canadian otters after some debate because they are less likely to get sick than the European ones," Hernold said.

Neither Otto nor Finnchen, as the otters have been named, has needed vaccinations since they were brought in, according to the ranger. This year, they produced two young, a big hit with park visitors.

The other North American species given a home in the wildlife park as an exception to the "locals only" rule is the wolf.

"We got Canadian wolves because of their color variation and their behavior," Hernold said.

The animals have become very popular. Still, the park's authorities have just decided to replace the Canadian wolves with European ones from Poland, in line with the policy of using native species whenever possible.

Safety first - for visitors and trees

The most spectacular animal in the forest is a true European - the continent's largest surviving land mammal, the European bison.

According to the IUCN, the European bison almost became extinct in the wild at the start of the twentieth century as a result of hunting and habitat loss.

Work to rescue them began after the First World War with 54 captive animals.

In 1996 the species was considered endangered, but that has changed since 2006. At an average length of three meters, a height of two meters and weighing 300 to 920 kilograms, the fierce, furry, cattle-like creatures are potentially dangerous to visitors.

"They are very ferocious and do everything to protect their young, so they are kept in a secure enclosure," Hernold said.

While bison pose a risk to humans, smaller animals can be a threat to the beech trees. Male deer or bucks, which roam the area freely, often rub their antlers against the trees to attract females and mark their territory, but they also cause damage to the trees.

The rangers have to treat the destroyed bark or protect the trees by building fences around them.

School of nature and wildlife

School children are brought to the park to learn about animals and the forest. As well as the nature experience outdoors, they pay a visit to the "Wilderness School", which was opened last year.

Hi-tech classrooms and a cinema provide background on the animals and the beech forest. The goal is for every class in the region to visit the school and the animals at least once to learn about the forest and its inhabitants - in the hope that they will protect what they know.

The entire project cost 2.3 million euro. But in the present financial climate, funding is not easy to come by.

"We were unable to build a modern enclosure for our wildcats because we didn't have the 250,000 euro needed for the project," Hernold said.

The ranger hopes that the park's UNESCO World Natural Heritage status might help, by attracting more visitors and financial support, for instance from the European Union.

Author: Chiponda Chimbelu, Kellerwald-Edersee
Editor: Nathan Witkop