Green belt becomes biodiverser: New project for Cologne starts!

Green belt becomes biodiverser: New project for Cologne starts!

From now on, the inner green belt in Cologne will be upgraded - and this with a clear goal: more biodiversity for humans and nature should be created here. The district council unanimously made a decision to get these ecological measures on the way. This initiative is based on an application of the Greens, Left and Climate Circle, such as Kölner Stadt-Einsiger reported.

What exactly is planned? The park is also planted, and the edge of the Aachen pond receives a comprehensive redesign. The focus is on “biodiversity hedges” with domestic plants, which are particularly intended to benefit insects and birds. This not only promotes biodiversity, but also a privacy screen to the traffic area, such as the inner Kanalstrasse, is created without impairing the visual axes on intersections.

locations and measures

The hedges are to be created at various locations within the green belt: north and south of Vogelsanger Straße and on Bachemer Straße. In addition, the application provides for the establishment of "landing zones" on the Aachen pond, which serve insects and water birds as retreats. For this purpose, about a third of the accessible bank areas on the east and west side of the water to pedestrians should be blocked and provided with natural plantings. Seating stages are also included in the planning, while a continuous free staircase is dispensed with. Info tables are placed on the new hedges and landing zones.

This step is more than just a cosmetic upgrading: the measures aim to maintain the inner green belt as a place of relaxation for the Cologne: inside and at the same time improve the habitats for animals. The city of Cologne has set itself the task of promoting biodiversity, which is of enormous importance for the survival of numerous species and the health of the ecosystems, as well as the City region Aachen emphasized.

The importance of biodiversity

biodiversity not only includes the variety of species, but also the habitats and ecosystems. In Germany there are around 48,000 animal species, 9,500 plant species and more than 14,000 mushroom types. However, the condition of biodiversity is alarming: approximately 35 % of animal species and 31 % of the plant species are considered to be endangered, and over the past few decades, the advanced advanced rose significantly. Over 25,000 species disappear a year. This should alert us, because intact biodiversity is essential for people and nature, since it prevents agricultural crises and illnesses, for example, and offers us resilience compared to climate change, as the Goethe University explained.

With these specific measures in the inner green belt, a small but decisive contribution to the preservation and promotion of biodiversity in our city is made. The initiators have proven a good hand - it remains exciting to observe how nature will develop in this new oasis.