The Puchheimer Au has been a protected landscape area since 2002. On the initiative of environmental councilor Dagmar Thaller (Greens), the municipality and the state government are now going further. 13 of the 15 ponds are declared a nature reserve in cooperation with the state government. The necessary municipal council decision was passed unanimously on Thursday evening.
“The ponds offer a high quality of life for amphibians, aquatic plants, fish, large mussels, waterfowl, beavers and otters,” enthuses Christoph Graf. The aquatic ecologist carried out a comprehensive investigation of the area on behalf of the state government and discovered, among other things, amphibians such as common and agile frogs.
Bitterling and Mudpeitzger
But the Attnanger initiative is not only a protection project, but also a resettlement project. Biologists will reintroduce endangered amphibians such as the great crested newt or small fish such as the bitterling and the mudbill in the 13 ponds. The latter finds an intact stock of large mussels and thus has ideal breeding opportunities.
The ponds must of course be prepared beforehand. The work has already started. The aim is to be able to regulate the water level of each pond. Drainage devices (“pond monks”) have already been renovated for this purpose. But pond floors also need to be sealed. And last but not least, every animal species also needs appropriate aquatic plants.
Incidentally, nothing will change for visitors to the local recreation area, because the affected area of the 13 ponds is already fenced off. Two more are and will remain open for fishing.
“It’s not about locking people out,” says Environment Councilor Dagmar Thaller. “On the contrary: nature and species protection should remain tangible and tangible in the Puchheimer Au.” For this purpose, nature lovers will be offered regular guided tours through the nature reserve in the future – albeit outside of the breeding and spawning seasons. The first tour will be next fall.
Source: Nachrichten
