Water – The Foundation of Life for People and Nature

Eight years ago, Serafin Vidal joined our team and brought with him a simple idea for building sturdy water reservoirs using local materials and without large machinery. One of the first was built in the village of Chocaya. At first, many were skeptical, but eventually, as many as 80 people helped with the construction at times.
Today, the water reservoir supplies numerous families during the dry season and offers them new prospects.

In our video, we show you how this project came about and what we were able to achieve together—thanks in part to your support.

Watch the video

Would you like to help provide access to water for even more families and many new trees?

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A Special Beaver Project with the Community of Hahnheim

In Germany, too, water is the key to vibrant landscapes. We’re aided in this by an extraordinary master of hydraulic engineering: the beaver.

No engineer plans with such precision. Instinctively, the beaver knows where a log slows the flow of water and where a small dam creates new habitats. Streams turn into small lakes, wetlands, and floodplains. There, dragonflies, amphibians, birds, and many other species find a habitat that has become rare in our intensively farmed landscape.

Together with the municipality of Hahnheim an der Selz, we are therefore launching a special project. The municipality expressly wants to encourage the beaver’s return. Anyone who looks around there will quickly see why: vineyards and farmland dominate the landscape, while hedgerows, forests, and near-natural areas are scarce. Along the Selz River, however, the beavers are already creating the first small wetlands. Last year, a beaver was even spotted near Hahnheim.

Now we’d like to lay the foundation for a species-rich riparian forest on a plot of land owned by the municipality—as a home for beavers and many other animal and plant species.

Watch the video

Just 5 euros helps create 2 m² of new beaver habitat. Perhaps you’d like to help create a small part of this new riparian landscape.

Create beaver habitat

One of Germany's most biodiverse landscapes

There are landscapes that captivate you from the very first visit. For us, the Middle Rhine Valley between Dörscheid and the Loreley is one of them.

This is where the Atlantic and continental climates meet. The sun-warmed steep slopes, vineyards, sheep pastures, and former mining sites form a unique mosaic of diverse habitats.

The result is impressive: More than 800 butterfly species have already been recorded here—including over 100 butterflies and more than 600 moths. Over 300 species are listed on the Red List of endangered animals. Such diversity is virtually unmatched anywhere else in Germany.

Naturefund has been protecting this unique area since 2017. A visit is especially worthwhile right now in the summer: with a little luck, you might spot the sky-blue blue or the rare woodland fritillary there.

If you’re unable to visit in person, we invite you to explore this fascinating world of butterflies on our website:

Discover Butterflies

Thank you very much for supporting our work. Your interest, support, and commitment make nature and species conservation a reality.

Warm summer greetings,

Your Naturefund Team