Species Protection Program in Gravel Pits in Germany

Species Protection Program Sand Martin (Riperia riparia) in the sand
pits and gravel pits of HeidelbergCement AG/ Sector Aggregates
Location
Gravel pits (Germany)
Operator
HeidelbergCement AG/ Sector
Aggregates
Mineral Type
Sand, sand-lime brick and
gravel
Habitat(s) created
Steep faces for Sand Martin breeding colonies.
Size
42 sand pits and gravel pits (Germany)
Background
The Sand Martin is a regularly breeding bird in the gravel pits and sand pits of HeidelbergCement AG. For their breeding areas they prefer the freshly uncompleted steep faces
of sandy-clayey material.
Before the straightening of the most rivers in Central Europe there was enough natural
breeding space for the Sand Martin, because they used the bank demolitions after every
high-water. With the flood control a large part of the dynamism has got lost. Today the
animals breed only in exploitation sites of the stones-earth-industry in Germany. Here the
forming strength is no more the high water, but the excavator shovel. So the continual
gravel and sand exploitation became the survival guarantee of these birds.
The Sand Martin is on the red list of Germany and is protected according to the federal
nature conservation act as especially protected.
Generally there are a peaceful coexistence between persons and Sand Martins in the exploitation sites, but in the individual cases it can come to problems, especially when the
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animals breed in the steep faces which must be mine. In spite of an existing permission,
the protective status of the Sand Martin prevents the mining until the end of the breeding
season. On this account HeidelbergCement starts the “Species Protection Program Sand
Martin” in 2007.
Project Description
The purpose of the project is to recognize the possible conflicts in forefront, between the
interests of the exploitation and the protection of the species and nature conservation by
management measures and care measures. Therefore a continuous “Species Protection
Program” was developed plus management plan (see figure 1 below).
The basis of the project is the mapping of the breeding holes in the exploitation sites, the
assessment of the conflict potentials and the elaboration of control measures.
Figure1: Species Protection Program Sand Martin
Artenschutzprogramm
Ist-Zustand
Managementplan
Monitoring
Getrennte Erfassung für jede
Abbaustätte
Zielkonflikte mit zukünftigem
Abbau, Zweijahresplanung
Jährliche Bestandskontrolle,
Datenverwaltung HTC
Geschätzte Anzahl Brutröhren
und -paare
Schaffung Alternative
Brutplätze
Konflikte zeitnah melden
Grobe Darstellung in einem
Lageplan
Zusammenarbeit mit Dritten
organisieren
Jahresbericht erstellen
„Was läuft gut?“
Was kann verbessert
werden?“
Ansprechpartner:
Behörden, Verbände,
Privatpersonen
Habitat creation details
In the breeding season between June and July all breeding holes are counted in the exploitation sites and shown in a map (see figure 2 below). During the winter months the
plant managers have to plan her mining for the coming months.
If there are attractive steep faces for the Sand Martins which must be mine, the workers of
the plant must regards and recon tours the steep faces before the animals return. Also
they must create evasive accommodations for the birds, e.g. unused steep faces. These
are released as far as possible radically from bushes and plant. Additionally they can pile
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up a waste dumps with sandy-clayey top soil material. The controls of the agreed measures will be once a year.
Measures:
• Annual and continuance control of the breeding areas, breeding holes, coordination
of the mining and definition of the measures for the next breeding seasons.
• No mining as well as the continuation of work in excavation pits at the breeding
season; if possibly secure the breeding area.
• Planning and realization of care measures: cutting of the steep faces after every
breeding season with spavins or an excavator, so the Sand Martin can breed at the
same place again next year.
• No back filling of the sand pits and gravel pits.
• Creation of top soil waste dumps.
• Available water surfaces in breeding areas should be kept by tourist activities, because they are important food habitats.
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Figure 2: Results of the Sand Martin mapping 2007 and 2008
Langhagen
Sermuth
Demmin
Pinnow hof
Babenhausen
Hohen Wangelin
Perniek
Waghäusel-Wiesental
Erw eiterung Gerlinde
Leupahn
Gotha Nord
Merseburg
Forchheim
Zirkow
Niederlehme
Mitteldonk
Lindw erder
Strachtizt
Durmersheim
Amberg
Achim
Hagenbach
Hallalit
Penig
Dettelbach
Babst
Andresen
Büschow
Burgstall
Stolzenau
Otterstadt
Flemmingen
Kronau
Wörth
Windheim
Wietersheim
Kaper
Rheinberg/Gerlinde
Kamp-Lintfort/R.
Flemmingen Süd
Niedersteinbach
Müncheberg
breeding holes 2008
breeding holes 2007
0
30 60
90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360 390 420 450 480 510 540 570 600 630 660 690 720 750 780
n=42
num bers of breeding holes
Key species
Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)
Characteristics Sand Martin:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
smallest European swallow
colonial bird and migratory bird
Germany: April/May to August/September
hibernation: October to April: Central Africa and North-west Africa
age: 9 -10 years
body structure:
- size: about 12 cm
- both genders: same look
- upper side: dull gray-brown to earth-brown
- chin, throat, cervical sides, underside: white with brown wristband
Living space:
- steep face of gravel pits or sand pits
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- upper layers of the rock faces
- rare: glay pits or loess pits
- conditions:
- “ soft material”
- all walls which are higher than 1.50 m
- free landing possibilities
- not too high vegetation under and upper the breeding area
Public benefits
The Sand Martin is a very popular kind of
bird with a big nature conservation value;
because the bird is on the red list
Germany and counts according to the
federal nature conservation law as
especially protected. Within the scope of
publications, signs, excursions, day of the
open door etc. HeidelbergCement can
demonstrate to the interested general
public
his
contribution
of
nature
conservation.
Contact Details
Martin Wollschläger
Project Manager
Tina Gölzer
Project Operator
Heidelberg Sand und Kies GmbH,
Team Geology and Raw Materials;
Germany
Heidelberg Technology Center GmbH,
Germany
[email protected]
www.heidelbergcement.com
[email protected]
www.heidelbergcement.com
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