Protection of Meadow Birds in Coastal areas of Western Pomerania (Germany)
The EU LIFE project Limicodra focuses on the protection of waders breeding on coastal meadows in Western Pomerania (North Eastern Germany). It specifically aims on the improvement of breeding success in salt marshes along the lagoon system (so called Bodden- and Haffküste).
The Acronym Limicodra derives from Limicoles or waders – an order of small to medium-large wader birds – and Odra, the name of the estuary of the river Oder (its western part) into the Baltic Sea – our project area.
The 5 project sites are situated at the southern shore of the Bay of Greifswald, the Peene Stream and the western part of Oder Lagoon. They lie almost entirely within the confines of areas of national or international protection status, within the Nature Parcs Usedom Island and Stettiner Haff and SPAs (Special Protected Areas for the protection of birds).
The project has a lifetime of 8 years and will last until september 2025. Its long lifetime allows optimizing the breeding habitats in several steps, which we consider necessary to allow recolonisation of habitats and an enlargement of populations. Our experience gained by this project will be used to elaborate a strategy of how to continue our efforts after the project. It can be used for other coastal areas with comparable problems.
News
Meadow Bird Conservation Is Climate Action Too!
Nature conservation delivers multiple benefits! As part of the EU-funded LIFE Limicodra project, the ecosystem services provided by the project areas have been assessed. The findings are both encouraging and remarkable: Raising water levels in the coastal polders along the Szczecin Lagoon can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by several thousand tonnes each year.
Your Opinion Matters!
How is the LIFE Limicodra project perceived within the region? What impact do the implemented measures have on nature conservation, agriculture and local communities? These questions are currently being explored in a bachelor’s thesis at Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences – supported by a public survey.
New Thermal Drone for Meadow Bird Conservation
The LIFE Limicodra project has expanded its technical capabilities. The new DJI Matrice 4TD thermal drone and specialised software provide even more precise and efficient methods for breeding bird monitoring.
EU LIFE+
LIFE ist the financial instrument of the European Union for funding actions of environmental protection. Abbreviation LIFE comes from french translation L`Instrument Financier pour l`Environment. Since 1992 over 4500 LIFE projects were co-financed by this programme.
Nature and biodiversity is the financing programme for projects in nature conservation. Funding innovative pilot projects in Natura 2000 areas supports the network of these international nature conservation sites.