The Biosphere Reserve - Facts and Figures
General data
- Area name: Biosphere Reserve Elbe River Landscape Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Federal state: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- District: Ludwigslust-Parchim (LUP)
- Area size: 46,092 ha (461 km²)
- Extension: north / south: ca. 35 km, east / west: ca. 51 km
- Location: on the right bank of the Elbe between the state borders with Schleswig-Holstein (Lauenburg) and Brandenburg (Dömitz) and along the state border with Niedersachsen (Neuhaus district); Elbe-km 502 to 511 near Dömitz and Elbe-km 555 to 565 near Boizenburg
- Natural environment: Lower Middle Elbe Valley
Residents in the Biosphere Reserve Region
Not all municipal areas are entirely within the borders of the Biosphere Reserve Elbe River Landscape MV. Since many activities for the Biosphere Reserve often go beyond its borders, the term Biosphere Reserve Region is better suited. This is identical to the allocation area [pdf 0.9 mb] for the certification of the "Partners of the Biosphere Reserve".
Population (Biosphere Reserve Region): ca 53,400
Area (Biosphere Reserve Region): 124,663 ha
Population density (Biosphere Reserve Region): ca 43 inhabitants / km²
Municipalities in the Biosphere Reserve Region
35 municipalities (in six offices) and three unofficial cities
- autonomous municipalities : Town Boizenburg/Elbe, Town Lübtheen, Town Ludwigslust
- Office Boizenburg-Land: Bengerstorf, Besitz, Brahlstorf, Dersenow, Gresse, Greven, Neu Gülze, Nostorf, Schwanheide, Teldau, Tessin near Boizenburg
- Office Dömitz-Malliß: Town Dömitz, Grebs-Niendorf, Karenz, Malk Göhren, Malliß, Neu Kaliß, Vielank
- Office Grabow: Eldena, Gorlosen, Karstädt, Milow, town Grabow (partly)
- Office Hagenow-Land: Belsch, Bresegard near Picher, Groß Krams, Pätow-Steegen, Pritzier, Redefin, Toddin, Warlitz
- Office Ludwigslust-Land: Alt Krenzlin, Bresegard near Eldena, Göhlen
- Office Zarrentin: Vellahn
Use of Land
| arable land | 15,671 ha | 34% |
| forest | 15,210 ha | 33% |
| pastureland | 10,140 ha | 22% |
| settlements, traffic areas | 1,844 ha | 4% |
| wood, heather, swamp, reed | 2,305 ha | 5% |
| inland water | 461 ha | 1% |
| other | 461 ha | 1% |
| total | 46,092 ha |
Landscape
- Central Europe's third largest river, the Elbe, and the seven tributaries Sude, Schaale, Boize, Krainke, Röcknitz, Löcknitz and Elde flow through a 10-20 km wide river valley, today's natural water meadow, in the southwest of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
- The close intermeshing of wetlands (flood and smoke water areas, bracks, oxbow lakes, low and dune valleys) with dry biotopes (steep bank slopes, inland dunes, heaths, dykes) and the remains of natural riverside and quarry forests are especially noteworthy.
- Ice Age mountain ranges on the edge of the urstromtal: the Rüterberg near Dömitz, the Vierwald near Boizenburg (more than 60m above sea level) and the Vellahner Berge (the highest point is the Forstberg at 87m above sea level)
- Inland dune areas: near Boizenburg (Gothmann), Lübheen (Lübheener Heide) and Dömitz (Klein Schmölen, 28m above the valley floodplain and ca 45m above sea level)
- During floods, the Elbe regularly overflows its banks and reaches a width of up to 2km between the dykes.
Animal and plant species
- Bats: 11 species
- Amphibians: 11 species
- Birds: 228 (breeding birds as well as resting and winter guests)
- Fish and cyclostomata: 28 species
- Ferns and flowering plants: over 1,300 species (in the cross-state UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Elbe River Landscape)
Zoning
Core zone: 1,493 ha (3.24%)
Long-term development of nature without anthropogenic influence, so that wilderness can rise again.
Maintenance zone: 7,922 ha (17.19%)
Valuable ecosystems in the cultural landscape are preserved through considered land use. Sections of the cultural landscape that are particularly worth protecting.
Development zone: 36,677 ha (79.57%)
Living, economic and recreational space.
The focus here is on balanced, environmentally friendly regional development.