The Hamberger Moor is a former "high-moor" and part of the Teufelsmoor (Devils moor). It is located a few kilometers away from the famous artists town Worpswede. Already a few years ago, the Hamberger Moor became a German land protected area. In the beginning of 2017 the Hamberger Moor became also part of the 27.000 ha natural reserve Teufelsmoor. But in this protected area, still many parts are private property and in agricultural use. One owner wants to sell his property of 30.000 m² directly to Naturefund. The property is in the center of the Hamberger Moor. By re-naturing and re-watering this property, we would be able to transform up to 100.000 m² back into a moor.
In addition, we have the chance to buy another 33,000 m² in the neighboring Niedersandhausener Moor and also renaturate it for nature.
The Hamberger Moor, like many other moors, is an important habitat for many rare plants and animals, like the sundew or the common adder. A great biological diversity developed over thousands of years. Also the strongly protected Grey Crane (Grus Grus) finds here a home. Only a few years ago, grey cranes came as guests during the passage of birds to south. Thanks to some renaturizationactivities, some moor lakes are back, which is the ideal place for cranes and their hatching. Today there are speculations, if a grey crane couple hatches in the Hamberger Moor, what would be a sensation. Further creatures that can be found in the moor are common snipes, teals, black-tailed godwit, moor frog, subarctic hawkers and the very rare alcon blue butterfly.
Being in the middle of the climate change, protecting moors is even more important. Moors store allot of biological matter and greenhouse gases in the peat, and that for centuries. If moors a drained and the peat is cut, all these greenhouse gases from older centuries go into the atmosphere. Additionally the greenhouse gas storage is destroyed.
Moors only cover 3% of the surface on earth, but they are responsible for 30% of the natural CO2 storage. But moors, especially high-moors, grow very slow, with an average of 1mm per year. This means, one spade of peat must grow 300 years and is destroyed in seconds.
With the climate change, also extreme weather conditions, like drought or heavy rain occur. For these incidents, moors are also great protectors. A moor can store up to 30-times more water than its dry-mass. During floods, they can easily replace gigantic artificial detention reservoirs.
Most of the land is a degenerated and drained former high-moor. The first action is "entkusseln", that means wood, especially birch trees are removed. Then the drainage ditches are sealed or refilled. After that, we install little dams, so the water stays there. With some time the degenerated high-moor will transform into a moor in regeneration state. In the best case and on a long term view, no further actions are required. Often, at least in the first 10 to 20 years, "entkusseln" must be done every five to six years, because the area isn't wet enough.
We currently talk to more property owner of former moor land. Together with our local partners, the NABU Hambergen, the NABU Osterholz-Scharmbeck and the Untere Naturschutzbehörde Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Naturefund has the goal of buying at least 85.000 m² moor land and protect it for nature and biological diversity.
Help us with this goal, with 5 €, you can protect 3 m² of the Hamberger Moor
Dieses Projekt wird gefördert von der Deutschen Postcode Lotterie.
Among others with the Energy Globe Awards and the UN Decade of Biodiversity
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