The Green Belt is becoming more biodiverse: New project for Cologne starts!

The Green Belt is becoming more biodiverse: New project for Cologne starts!

From now on, the inner green belt in Cologne will be upgraded - and with a clear goal: more biodiversity should be created here for people and nature. The city center district council unanimously passed a resolution to initiate these ecological measures. This initiative is based on a proposal from the Greens, the Left and climate friends, such as Cologne City Gazette reported.

What exactly is planned? The park will be additionally planted and the edge of the Aachener Weiher will be extensively redesigned. The focus is on “biodiversity hedges” with native plants that are intended to particularly benefit insects and birds. This not only promotes biodiversity, but also creates a visual barrier to the traffic area, such as Inner Kanalstrasse, without impairing the visual axes at intersections.

Locations and measures

The hedges should be planted at various locations within the green belt: north and south of Vogelsanger Straße and on Bachemer Straße. In addition, the application envisages the establishment of “landing zones” at the Aachener Weiher, which serve as refuges for insects and water birds. To achieve this, around a third of the accessible bank areas on the east and west sides of the water should be closed to pedestrians and provided with natural plantings. Seating steps are also included in the planning, while there is no continuous outside staircase. Information boards about the species used will be placed at the new hedges and landing areas.

This step is more than just a cosmetic upgrade: the measures aim to preserve the inner green belt as a recreational area for Cologne residents and at the same time improve the habitats for animals. The city of Cologne has made it its mission to promote biodiversity, which is of enormous importance for the survival of numerous species and for the health of ecosystems Aachen city region emphasized.

The importance of biodiversity

Biodiversity includes not only the diversity of species, but also habitats and ecosystems. In Germany there are around 48,000 animal species, 9,500 plant species and more than 14,000 fungal species. However, the state of biodiversity is alarming: around 35% of animal species and 31% of plant species are considered endangered, and the extinction rate has increased significantly over the last few decades. Over 25,000 species disappear every year. This should alarm us, because intact biodiversity is essential for people and nature, as it prevents, for example, agricultural crises and diseases and offers us resilience to climate change, such as Goethe University explained.

These concrete measures in the inner green belt make a small but crucial contribution to preserving and promoting biodiversity in our city. The initiators have shown a good hand - it will be exciting to see how nature will develop in this new oasis.