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| Biosphere Reserve Information | ||||
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BIOSPHÄRE BLIESGAU |
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| General Description |
The “Biosphäre Bliesgau” biosphere reserve features a high degree of spatial and historic complexity within a relatively small area (approx. 36,152 ha), simultaneously in abiotic, biotic and social respects. This degree of social complexity arose from the historic development from initially close and increasingly loosening ties to nature. The less fertile forested Buntsandstein areas in the North are contrasted with more fertile, largely extensively farmed Muschelkalk areas in the South. Moreover, they exhibit an extremely large variety of soils and microclimates. Correspondingly, the South is characterized by a partially preserved rural way of life and by its relatively sparse population. In contrast, the northern portion of the biosphere reserve is densely populated and characterized by urbanization. A broad suburban transition area is located in between these zones. Due to its industrial and service sectors, the North constitutes the economic center of the region. Economically, the South is highly dependent on the North. The region is oriented toward intermediate-order and high-order central places, some of which are located within the biosphere reserve and others outside of it. This results in interferences between humans, society and the environment that are clearly reflected in the landscape. This diversity of landscapes and habitats results in high species and habitat diversity of national significance. The entry of the entire medium-sized town of St. Ingbert into the biosphere reserve presents a diversity of additional options. They range from added value and valorization of regional products at a medium-sized regional center with the appropriate infrastructure and purchasing power to the exemplary sustainable development of old heavy industry sites. Especially due to its close proximity of rural, suburban and urban areas, its high population density (an average of 337 km2 and approx. 111,000 inhabitants in the planned area) and the resulting high degree ofcomplexity, the biosphere reserve offers a good basis for the development and testing of potential sustainable solutions |
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| Major ecosystem type | In addition to urban habitats, hilly mesophilic beech forests of the Upper Buntsandstein and swampy floodplain valleys dominate the landscape in the northern urban areas. Characteristic elements of the southern rural areas include semi-arid grasslands, extensive infertile flatland mowing grasslands (largely sage-false oat grasslands), Streuobst complexes and orchid and woodruff-beech forests on Muschelkalk. | |||
| Major habitats & land cover types | Forests, Hedges and thickets, Grassland habitats, Infertile grassland, Bogs and swamps, Bodies of water, Dwarf shrub heaths, Ruderal communities, Fields, Open rock formations, quarries, sand pits, settlement areas. | |||
| Location |
1 N 49°17'36.38" 7°12'38.8" 2 NE 49°20'4.14" 7°23'39.56" 3 E 49°13'26.62" 7°18'3.70" 4 SE 49°8'42.77" 7°20'21.63" 5 S 49°7'24.75" 7°12'23.17" 6 SW 49°7'41.22" 7°2'43.48" 7 W 49°13'34.3" 7°7'29.28" 8 NW 49°17'49.49" 7°5'28.68" 9 49°13'30.81" 7°12'32.22" |
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| Area (hectares) | ||||
| Total | 36,152 | |||
| Core area(s) | 1,103 | |||
| Buffer zone(s) | 7,051 | |||
| Transition area(s) when given | 27,998 | |||
| Altitude (metres above sea level) | 197,9 m - 402 m | |||
| Year designated | 2009 | |||
| Administrative authorities | Biosphärenzweckverband Bliesgau | |||
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| Brief description |
Analysis of existing research about the Bliesgau region; Examination of the initial situation in terms of natural and social sciences; Ecological change in the urban, zwischenstadt and rural areas in the context of global climate change; Options of and social and ecological limits to the production and use of renewable energies; The development of environments in the context of social change (especially of structural and demographic change); Research of nutrient cycles and geoecology |
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| Specific variables... | ||||
| Abiotic | Abiotic factors, acidic deposition/acid rain, air quality, air temperature, climate, contaminants, erosion, geology, geomorphology, global change, groundwater, habitat, heavy metals, hydrology, indicators, meteorology, modelling, monitoring/methodologies, nutrients, pollution, pollutants, soil, topography, toxicology/toxic substances. | |||
| Biodiversity | Afforestation/Reforestation, alien/invasive/exotic/introduced species, amphibians, autoecology/synecology, benthos, biodiversity, biogeography, biology, biotechnology, birds, breeding/reproduction, community studies/communities, conservation, degraded areas, dune systems, ecology, ecosystem assessment, ecosystem functioning/ecosystem structure, evapotranspiration, evolutionary studies/palaeoecology/evolution, fauna, fishes, flora, forest systems, freshwater/inland water, fungi, genetic resources, genetically modified organisms/gmo, home gardens, indicators, invertebrates/insects/spiders, mammals, microorganisms, migrating populations/migration, modelling, monitoring/methodologies, natural medicinal products, natural resources, perturbations/resilience/vulnerability, pests/diseases, phenology, phytosociology/succession, plants, pollination, population genetics/population dynamics, productivity, rare/endangered/threatened species, reintroduction, reptiles, restoration/rehabilitation/redevelopment, taxonomy, temperate forest, vegetation studies/plant cover, wildlife. | |||
| Socio-economic | Agriculture/Production systems, anthropological studies/anthropology, archaeology/paleontology, capacity building, cultural aspects, demography, economic studies, energy production systems/alternative energy, firewood cutting/harvesting, fishery/fisheries, forestry, human health, human migration/population exodus, hunting, indicators, indicators of sustainability, industry, livestock and related impacts/overgrazing, local participation, micro-credits, mining, modelling, monitoring methodologies, natural hazards, people-nature relations/man/nature, quality economies, recreation, resource use, role of women/gender, sacred sites, small business initiatives, social/socio-economic aspects, tourism, traditional practices/ethnology/traditional knowledge, transport. | |||
| Integrated monitoring | Conflict, ecosystem approach, education and public awareness, environmental change, environmental quality, geographic information system/gis, impact and risk studies/environmental impact, indicators, infrastructure, institutional and legal aspects, integrated studies/interdisciplinaty, interdisciplinary studies, land use/land cover, landscape inventorying/monitoring, management issues, mapping, modelling, monitoring/methodologies, planning and zoning measures/zonation, policy issues, remote sensing, rural systems, sustainable development/sustainable use, transboundary/transfrontiers, urban systems/towns/cities, watershed studies/monitoring. | |||
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| Contact address |
Biosphärenzweckverband Bliesgau Zweibrücker Straße 5 66440 Blieskastel Germany |
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| Telephone | 49 – (0) 6824 – 960 09 - 0 | |||
| Fax | 49 – (0) 6824 – 960 09 - 29 | |||
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info@biosphaere-bliesgau.eu |
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| Web site | www.biosphaere-bliesgau.eu | |||
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n.a. | |||
| Last updated: 10/08/2009 |
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