Bonn, Germany
City population: 305257
Duration: 2014 – 2015
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level, Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Residential, Protected Area, Public Greenspace Area, Building
Last updated: October 2021

Recognizing that wilderness areas in cities are getting scarcer and neglected, the Biological Station Bonn Rhein-Erft conducted a city-wide project, in cooperation with the municipality of Bonn, funded by the Regional Rhineland Association, whose goal was to assess, map, evaluate and redevelop wilderness patches in Bonn. These contain roadside meadows, flower strips, hedges and small green patches growing on concrete walls or fences and pavement cracks. 10 of these "Wild corners" were designated as micro-wilderness areas, information signs were installed and an informative city walk conceptualized (1,4,10).

Wilderness corners
Wilderness corners
Biologische Station Bonn / Rhein-Erft e.V., retrieved on 03/10/2018

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
  • Other
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
  • Other

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Regulation of built environment
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Preservation of natural heritage

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Protection of natural ecosystems, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity

Project objectives

1. Care of protected areas and native species of the landscape (2); 2. Record and assess wild animal and plant species and their habitat living in the green areas of the city (2); 3. Conservation of traditional plants, enhancing plant diversity, preserving and reinstating microhabitats; 4. Raise public awareness for the ecological value of wilderness areas in cities; 5. Counteracting the trend of sealing surfaces in densely built areas (2).

Implementation activities

216 micro wilderness patches (green walls, green road stretches, small green spaces) were identified, mapped and assessed all over Bonn, 10 of these spaces were selected as public educational sites, where signs were installed to inform about the ecological and cultural-historical value of the sites and the role of rich plant and animal species for urban environments. Some of these wilderness areas were renewed and repopulated with local plant seeds (2, 3).

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
  • Protect species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect native species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
  • Means for conservation governance
  • Raise public awareness

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore native species

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Public sector institution

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Dissemination of information and education

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The project was designed and conducted by the Biological Station (a non-profit and independent association part of the 40 stations in North-Rhein Wesphalia under the umbrella association of Biological Stations) together with the municipality of Bonn and was funded by the Rheinland Regional Association (Landschaftsverband Rheinland LVR) (2,3,10)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

€10,000 - €50,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public regional budget

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
  • Education
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Biologische Station Bonn / Rhein-Erft e.V. (2015) Wilde Ecken. Biologische Vielfalt in der Stadt. Website not available September 9, 2020.
2. Schmidt, R. (2015) ‘“Wilden Ecken” auf der Spur’, General-Anzeiger Bonn, p. 2. Accessed on September, 2020, Source link.
3. Biologische Station Bonn / Rhein-Erft e.V. (2015a) LVR-Projekt ‘Wilde Ecken’. Accessed on September, 2020, Source link
4. Biologische Station Bonn/Rhein-Erft (2015) Wilde Ecken - Biologische Vielfalt in der Stadt, ‘Wilde Ecken’ in Bonn. Natur in unserer Stadt. Website not available September 9, 2020
5. Landschaftsverband Rheinland (2017) Biologische Stationen im Rheinland. Website not available September 9, 2020,
6. n.a. (2014) ‘KfW gibt Zuschüsse für grüne Dächer. Durch Grünpflanzen auf dem Dach können Energiekosten gespart werden. Die KfW-Förderbank gibt dafür ab Juni erstmals ZuschüSource link, Deutsche HandwerksZeitung. Accessed on September, 2020, Source link.
7. Bundesministerium für Umwelt / Naturschutz / Bau und Reaktorsicherheit (2015) Grün in der Stadt − Für eine lebenswerte Zukunft. Grünbuch Stadtgrün. Berlin. Website not available September 9, 2020.
8. Schöberl-Floimayr, C., Stadler, M. and Schmoll, A. (2015) Herausforderungen der ‘Stadtlandschaft’ in der Metropologregion Köln/Bonn. Zukunft gemeinsam gestalten. Masterplan Grün, Version 3.0. Köln. September 9, 2020. Source link
9. Stadt Bonn (2017b) Strategien zum Klimaschutz in Bonn. Website not available September 9, 2020.
10. Biologische Station Bonn/Rhein-Erft. Wilde Ecken in Bonn Flattblatt. Accessed on September 9, 2020, Source link
Wilderness corners
Wilderness corners
Biologische Station Bonn / Rhein-Erft e.V., retrieved on 03/10/2018
Wilderness corners
Wilderness corners
Biologische Station Bonn / Rhein-Erft e.V., retrieved on 03/10/2018
Wilde Corner in Bonn
Source: https://ga.de/bonn/hardtberg/wilden-ecken-auf-der-spur_aid-42415635