The federal competition "Naturstadt - Kommunen schaffen Vielfalt" (City of Nature - Communities Create Diversity) of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, which has been announced until 2024, shows an important trend reversal. Insect conservation must not only take place in rural areas, but has such an urgency that urban municipalities and districts are also called upon to get very actively involved in nature conservation. The competition is part of the Federal Government's plan of action for the conservation of diversity and the protection of insects also in settlement areas and has a total financial volume of 2.22 million euros. The funding body is the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) with funds from the German ederal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
The competition is also about promoting local cooperation between municipal urban development, green planning and the specialist offices responsible for nature conservation. The aim is to jointly create more insect-friendly habitats and at the same time promote urban greenery. After an appropriate application, prizes are awarded and funding can flow for the future-oriented implementations. This is what happened in the district of Mainz-Bingen.
Together with Naturefund, the Environmental and Energy Advisory Centre of Mainz-Bingen (UEBZ) developed a plan to install dynamic agroforestry plots in the immediate urban environment. As one of 40 selected projects out of over 200 submissions, the biodiversity conservation plan received €25,000 in prize money.
The district administration outlined the individual measures that have been implemented together with Naturefund. To date, four DAF areas have been planted in joint planting campaigns and more are to be planted. With Naturefund's many years of expertise, the plantings are planned, designed and implemented through public participation campaigns.
The district is setting an example for its municipalities in the field of environmental protection and nature conservation. Each municipality or town can then become active for its own area. The population is actively made aware of the problems of climate change, while at the same time they can be part of implementing solutions and actively help shape their living environment. The transfer of knowledge can lead to sustainable changes, while a garden bursting with biodiversity with the inscription "Snacking expressly permitted!" invites people to experience nature in a sustainable way.
The district of Mainz Bingen implements dynamic agroforestry areas in cooperation with Naturefund.
