They take care of hazel dormice and red kites, plant hedgerows and manage flocks of sheep: three employees from the Nature and Species Conservation team at Prokon report.
The call for help came from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Near the planned Prokon wind farm in Granzin, a nest of red kites was discovered - a case for Melanie Schindler, who is responsible for nature and species protection for Prokon in the eastern federal states, based in Potsdam.
"Since the nest is near the planned installations, diversion areas must be created."
Melanie Schindler, Nature and species conservation officer (East Germany)
In the specific case, Melanie Schindler has agreed with a landowner that one of her areas will no longer be intensively cultivated in the future but converted into fallow land. Here, the Red Kites can spot their prey better, which lures them in. At the same time, the birds stay away from the rotor blades and are not in danger.
Melanie Schindler is one of three full-time nature and species conservationists at Prokon. Her task is to compensate for the interventions necessary for the construction of wind turbines in nature. They are involved in the planning phase of new plants, commission reports, and agree on compensation measures for land consumption as well as protective measures for endangered animal and plant species. When it comes to implementation, the Prokon environmentalists ensure that specialist companies reliably carry out the measures.
"In almost every project, a sensitive species pops up somewhere, and it usually has wings."
Janine Friedhoff, Nature and Species Conservation Officer (Northern Germany)
For example, when repowering the Horst wind farm in Schleswig-Holstein: "There are two stork nests a kilometer away," explains the trained conservationist and landscape planner who has been working for Prokon for five and a half years.
Although the storks have coped well with the old wind turbines, the landscape is changing for the birds due to the planned repowering. Therefore, distraction areas are also being created here. Janine Friedhoff has several small ponds dug so that the storks can find their favorite frogs here. In addition, grassland is seeded with diverse seed and thus ecologically enhanced. A field is also seeded with clover grass and mowed very frequently. "In the low clover grass, the storks can see the mice better," explains Janine Friedhoff. Another project, on the other hand, is specifically protecting the small rodents. "The hazel dormouse is a super sensitive species," says Janine Friedhoff.
The animal is not really a mouse but the smallest representative of our native dormice, nocturnal rodents. And because their habitat is becoming scarcer, the conservationist had around 300 meters of so-called "knicks" built at the Schönwalde-Altenkrempe wind farm in East Holstein. These are raised, densely planted earth walls that used to protect the soil from erosion in windy Schleswig-Holstein but have now disappeared in many places due to the trend towards larger fields. These knicks provide habitat for many animal and plant species, including the hazel dormouse.
In addition to the new knicks, Prokon has also ecologically enhanced a 600-meter stretch of the Kremper Au riverbank in East Holstein. The riverbank has been flattened, willows and shrubs have been planted, and nesting opportunities for insects have been built. These measures promote the habitat for various fish species and the strictly protected otter. People also benefit: they can admire the natural watercourse during a walk along the newly designed west bank.
Walkers will need a little more patience with the current project by Rah Keifenheim, a Prokon nature conservationist based in Mainz. The environmental engineer has recently reforested an area in the Hunsrück at the Benzweiler wind park, and it will take a few years of strong growth before the tranquil woodland stroll can be enjoyed. Rah Keifenheim is responsible for nature and species conservation for Prokon in Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saarland. "In total, I am involved in around 30 projects, 15 of which quite intensively," reports Rah Keifenheim.
It accompanies approval procedures and commissions expert opinions on how to protect nature and species in the vicinity of planned facilities. Once the permits have been granted, it ensures that the compensatory measures are implemented.
"Every project has its pitfalls, and we often have to deal with the red kite – in relation to wind power, that's a sensitive issue."
Rah Keifenheim, Nature and Species Conservation Officer (Southwest Germany)
However, Rah Keifenheim has always found a solution for protecting the birds. In the spring, Melanie Schindler in Saxony-Anhalt dealt with quadrupeds. Near the Eilsleben-Ovelgünne wind farm, Prokon had established an orchard many years ago as a compensatory measure. This orchard had since become overgrown with bushes. In collaboration with the Landscape Foundation of Saxony-Anhalt, the pear, cherry, and plum trees were cleared of scrub vegetation and will be grazed by sheep and goats in the future to counteract further overgrowth.
Whether it's about small mice or large-scale habitat restorations, the work of the three nature and species conservationists aligns with Prokon's sustainability philosophy - every intervention in nature has its compensation.
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