Last updated: June 2024
The Fechenheimer Mainbogen is the largest undeveloped floodplain area in Frankfurt am Main and a special recreational area in the Frankfurt Green Belt Internal link. Today, the Main Arch is mainly used for agriculture, but still contains numerous relics of a typical floodplain landscape, such as smaller floodplain trees, meadows and wet bank areas. Since 2015, the curve of the Main has been transformed back into a near-natural meadow landscape with water, alluvial forests and meadows in several steps. Animals and plants are given new valuable habitats and places of retreat, and people are given attractive recreational spaces in nature (10).
Source: https://frankfurt-greencity.de/berichte/klima-freiflaechen/fechenheimer-mainbogen/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Lakes/ponds
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas
Project objectives
1. Structural improvement of the floodplain of the river Main (1);
2. Creation of habitat for aquatic plants and species (1);
3. Improving the recreational function of the area for Frankfurt citizens (1);
4. Creation better conditions for agriculture (1);
5. Protection of agricultural areas from flooding (1).
Implementation activities
The project proposed 39 individual measures on the following areas:
- Reinforcement of the river banks(1)
- Three additional oxbow ponds were created with 5000 square meter watersurface (1)
- Relocation of some protected species, such as the yellow meadows (1)
- Deconstruction of a dam and implementation of a backwater system (1)
- Construction of a 1,200 meter long three-meter-wide towpath with a light-colored asphalt surface (1)
- Clearance of the construction site and restoration of the construction roads and storage areas as a meadow (1)
- Reorganisation of land with the placing of contiguous arable and meadow areas are created in the higher areas. (1)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas
- Create new habitats
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Regional government
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
As a sub project of the Frankfurt Green City Process, the project was planned and supervised by the Environmental Agency with the help of the Municipal drainage system agency. The complex construction work was carried out with an external service provider and the support of the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (7).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(The European Water Framework Directive 2000 (Flood risk management subsection). According to the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC), Member States shall come up with flood risk management plans and measures and calls for improving the ecological status of European inland waters (6, 10).)
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Frankfurt Green City Strategy (3,7))
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Public national budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
- Increased green space area
- Increased number of protection areas
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Frankfurt Green City. (2017). Fechenheimer Mainbogen : Stadt Frankfurt Am Main | Dezernat Umwelt Und Gesundheit | Umweltamt. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
2. Frankfurter Neue Presse. (2016). Frankfurter Neue Presse, “Renaturierung Im Fechenheimer Mainbogen: Main-Altarm Kann Ab 2017 Neu Entstehen | Frankfurter Neue Presse. Website not available
3. Frankfurt Green City. (2017). Frankfurt Green City Status Und Trends : Stadt Frankfurt Am Main | Dezernat Umwelt Und Gesundheit | Umweltamt/ Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link.
4. Frankfurt Green City. (2017). Der Fechenheimer Mainbogen : Stadt Frankfurt Am Main | Dezernat Umwelt Und Gesundheit | Umweltamt. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link.
5. Frankfurt Green City. (2017). Hochwasser : Stadt Frankfurt Am Main | Dezernat Umwelt Und Gesundheit | Umweltamt. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link.
6. European Commission. (2017). Floods Directive, Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
7. Stadt Frankfurt am Main. (n/a). Vermessungsarbeiten zur Gewässerrenaturierung am Fechenheimer Mainbogen. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
8. Haesler, A. (2019). Mehr Molch im Mainbogen: 90 Hektar großes Naturparadies entsteht. Frankfurter Neue Presse. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
9. Frankfurt Green City. (n/a). Erholung: Auf neuen Wegen durch eine grüne Oase. Frankfurt Green City. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
10. Stadt Frankfurt am Main. (n/a). Der Fechenheimer Mainbogen. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
2. Frankfurter Neue Presse. (2016). Frankfurter Neue Presse, “Renaturierung Im Fechenheimer Mainbogen: Main-Altarm Kann Ab 2017 Neu Entstehen | Frankfurter Neue Presse. Website not available
3. Frankfurt Green City. (2017). Frankfurt Green City Status Und Trends : Stadt Frankfurt Am Main | Dezernat Umwelt Und Gesundheit | Umweltamt/ Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link.
4. Frankfurt Green City. (2017). Der Fechenheimer Mainbogen : Stadt Frankfurt Am Main | Dezernat Umwelt Und Gesundheit | Umweltamt. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link.
5. Frankfurt Green City. (2017). Hochwasser : Stadt Frankfurt Am Main | Dezernat Umwelt Und Gesundheit | Umweltamt. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link.
6. European Commission. (2017). Floods Directive, Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
7. Stadt Frankfurt am Main. (n/a). Vermessungsarbeiten zur Gewässerrenaturierung am Fechenheimer Mainbogen. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
8. Haesler, A. (2019). Mehr Molch im Mainbogen: 90 Hektar großes Naturparadies entsteht. Frankfurter Neue Presse. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
9. Frankfurt Green City. (n/a). Erholung: Auf neuen Wegen durch eine grüne Oase. Frankfurt Green City. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
10. Stadt Frankfurt am Main. (n/a). Der Fechenheimer Mainbogen. Accessed on October 7, 2020, Source link
Source: https://frankfurt-greencity.de/berichte/klima-freiflaechen/fechenheimer-mainbogen/
Source: https://frankfurt-greencity.de/berichte/klima-freiflaechen/fechenheimer-mainbogen/
Source: https://frankfurt-greencity.de/berichte/klima-freiflaechen/fechenheimer-mainbogen/planungen-im-detail/
Source: https://www.fnp.de/lokales/offenbach/mehr-molch-mainbogen-zr-12214162.html
Source: https://frankfurt.de/themen/umwelt-und-gruen/orte/main/fechenheimer-mainbogen
Source: https://frankfurt.de/themen/umwelt-und-gruen/orte/main/fechenheimer-mainbogen