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and homeland and cultural maintenance. It leases its land on
favorable terms to the farmers (usually for € 50 per hectare
per annum) under the condition that these areas are managed
according to the nature conservation program and optimized.
If the requirements of contractual nature conservation are
breached (which rarely occurs), the contracts can be dissolved
and/or the lease is not extended. In some cases, farmers also
include their own land in the program. But this land is often dif-
ficult to cultivate and often contains steep slopes or areas that
are moist, low-lying or protected.
The biological stations, founded in the 1990s as nonprofit
associations, are responsible for acquiring the land. The staff
of the biological stations, partly volunteers, acts as both
advisers and the point of contact for the farmers. They also
monitor the areas and give the farmers feedback on the suc-
cess of their maintenance measures. The scientific monitoring,
control and evaluation of the program was initially conducted
by Wolfgang Schumacher and the Agricultural Faculty of the
University of Bonn. Since 1993, however, this task has been
carried out by the biological stations as well.
Today, the district of Euskirchen alone has nearly 400 farms
on approximately 3,500 hectares of land under the contractual
nature conservation program, with some farms having been
involved for nearly three decades. The annual volume of grants
totals € 1.5 million for the three districts mentioned above. The
individual farmer can receive up to € 600 or € 700 per hectare
in the highlands and mountainous areas of the Eifel region
through land payments and contractual conservation pay-
ments, which is financially attractive for many farmers.
The program‘s nature conservation and ecological success
is undisputed: The populations of many rare plant species on
in North Rhine-Westphalia to protect the meadows and pas-
tures in the lowland and upland areas. In 1988, this generated
favorable conditions for the expansion of the pilot project to a
program for the entire Eifel region of North Rhine-Westphalia.
That program is now called Programm zur naturschutzgerech-
ten Bewirtschaftung von Grünland (program for the conserva-
tion-oriented management of grassland) and is financed by the
European Union, the federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia,
and the participating districts.
Major agricultural and ancillary businesses (most dairy
farms and nomadic shepherds) cultivate the land according to
the requirements of nature conservation. Depending on the type
of habitat, for example, participants no longer use fertilizers
and plant protection products and have agreed to late mow-
ings or to keeping a smaller number of grazing cattle. In return,
they receive € 260 to € 390 per hectare per annum. The money
is financial compensation for income losses resulting from the
altered form of management. The exact amount depends on the
maintenance measures implemented. The premium is paid out
at the end of the cultivation year. The dairy farms can also use
the hay of the conservation areas instead of straw for young ani-
mals and dry cows, or as structurized feed in the daily rations of
dairy cattle.
Participation in the program is voluntary for farmers. The
corresponding contracts have a term of five years and are regu-
larly renewed. Land under nature conservation, FFH areas and
legally protected habitats are given preference. Many of these
areas are owned by regional, local and municipal governments,
foundations and churches. Around 600 hectares are owned by
the North-Rhine Westphalia foundation set up in 1986 by the
regional government for the purpose of nature conservation
Naturschutzgerechte Bewirtschaftung
von Grünland in der nordrhein-west-
fälischen Eifel
Die region (area):
The districts of Euskirchen, Düren and Aachen in
the Eifel region of Germany (currently approxima-
tely 5,000 ha of promoted land)
Starting year (stage):
1988 (ongoing)
objective:
Protection and enhancement of biodiversity
Beneficiary:
General public represented by the European
Union (EU), the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
(NRW) and the districts mentioned above in the
context of a special contractual nature conserva-
tion program as part of the Kulturlandschaftspro-
gramm of North Rhine-Westphalia
Service provider:
Farmers, shepherds
(other) Intermediaries:
Biological Stations in Euskirchen, Düren and
Aachen in cooperation with the Nordrhein-West-
falen-Stiftung Naturschutz, Heimat- und Kultur-
pflege (NRW-Stiftung), the district landscape
agencies, the Chamber of Agriculture, the
Landesamt für Natur- Umwelt- und Verbraucher-
schutz (LANUV NRW) and the Agricultural Faculty
of the University of Bonn
Budget:
Currently about € 1.5 million per year
Payment arrangement:
Input-based, level of payment is based on oppor-
tunity and production costs, plus in many cases a
reduced lease payment for the area
Contact:
Prof. Dr. em. Wolfgang Schumacher
dr.wolfgang.schumacher@web.de
Stefan Meisberger
s.meisberger@biostationeuskirchen.de
www.biostationeuskirchen.de
www.bs-aachen.de
www.biostation-dueren.de
www.nrw-stiftung.de
Grünlandbewirtschaftung
