Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [66]
Deer are still around, although with dwindling natural habitats and their shrinking gene pool, the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung (German Wild Animal Foundation; www.deutschewildtierstiftung.de, in German) has expressed concern for the animal’s future.
Return to beginning of chapter
Plants
Studded with beech, oak, birch, chestnut (mostly of the inedible horse-chestnut variety), lime, maple and ash trees, German forests are beautiful places to escape the madding crowds and relax. Mixed deciduous forest carpets river valleys at lower altitudes, and coniferous species grow thicker as you ascend. According to the 2009 IUCN ‘Red List’, only 12 plants might be endangered.
* * *
The 2005 book How Green Were the Nazis?: Nature, Environment, and Nation in the Third Reich by Franz-Josef Bruggemeier, Mark Cioc and Thomas Zeller (eds) takes a look at the Nazis’ love of the great outdoors and explores how fascist and conservationist practices overlap.
* * *
Waldfrüchte (berries) are particularly colourful but are for the most part poisonous. The same applies to mushrooms, which are essential for the development of healthy root systems in trees, especially in deciduous forests. Chanterelle (Pfifferlinge) mushrooms are an autumn culinary delight.
Alpine regions burst with wildflowers – orchids, cyclamen, gentians, pulsatillas, alpenroses, edelweiss and buttercups. Meadow species colour spring and summer, and great care is taken these days not to cut pastures until plants have seeded. Visitors should stick to paths, especially in alpine areas and coastal dunes where ecosystems are fragile. In late August, heather blossom is the particular lure of Lüneburg Heath, northeast of Hanover.
Return to beginning of chapter
NATIONAL PARKS
The country’s vast and varied landscapes are protected to varying degrees by 101 nature parks, 14 biosphere reserves and 14 national parks (detailed in the table, Click here). The Upper Middle Rhine Valley and the Wadden Sea are both safeguarded as Unesco World Heritage Areas to prevent further damage.
* * *
Ting! Ting! Road rage in ecofriendly Germany often happens on the footpath (sidewalk), when inattentive pedestrians step into an oncoming cyclist’s way. Watch out for the red cycle lanes – and stay well out of them!
* * *
Return to beginning of chapter
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Germans are the original Greens. They cannot claim to have invented environmentalism, but they were there at the outset and it was they who coined the word to describe the movement. A few ‘Values’ and ‘Ecology’ parties were knocking around beforehand, but it was the group of politicians associated with Rudi Dutschke, Petra Kelly and artist Joseph Beuys who first hit on the name The Greens (Die Grünen) when contesting local and national elections in 1979 and 1980. They gained a strong foothold in Bremen, and other political groups across the world decided they quite liked the moniker. The rest, as they say, is history (see the boxed text ‘Keen on Green’, Click here, for more on Die Grünen).
The Greens’ concern for the health of the planet and their strong opposition to nuclear power certainly struck a chord with the local populace. Contemporary Germans recycle vigilantly, often prefer to ride bicycles rather than catch buses, and carry their groceries in reusable cloth shopping bags or rolling canvas baskets; all this is simply second nature here.
* * *
Owls of the World: Their Lives, Behaviour and Survival by James R Duncan makes the ideal companion for wildlife enthusiasts out to spot Germany’s eagle owls, Eurasian pygmy owls and other owl species.
* * *
Green ideology has also wielded an enormous influence on the political agenda. In the 1990s, Greenpeace Germany made international news trying to stop nuclear-waste transport in Lower Saxony and heavily populated North Rhine–Westphalia. German Greenpeace members also helped scuttle