Wolfschlugen, Germany
City population: 581386
Duration: 2008 – 2017
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: June 2024

The Restoration of degraded wetlands in Wolfschlugen (in the administrative district of Stuttgart) was conducted within the wider regional level of sustainable urban development to enhance resilience, protect the city from flooding, support sustainable development, and safeguard biodiversity. Ditches and craters line the 700 metres long and 50 - 70 metres wide strip of landscape northeast of the development boundary behind the Wolfschlugen forest cemetery. This is formed by the Riederwiesen, which absorb water to protect the place from flooding. The wetland should protect people at least during a so-called hundred-year flood and at the same time offer animals and plants a habitat. (ref 3, 11)

Wetland
The Local
https://www.thelocal.de/20130202/47717

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Blue infrastructure
  • Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
  • In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
  • Green areas for water management
  • Rain gardens
  • Swales and filter strips
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Flood protection
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Improvements to water quality

Focus

Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Protection of natural ecosystems

Project objectives

1. Decrease the level of drought; 2. Decrease the duration and volume of water deficit; 3. Increase a natural habitat diversity; 4. Improve water quality; 5. Creation of a natural buffer against flooding; 6. Creation of new recreational area for Stuttgart citizens (ref 1, 11).

Implementation activities

The following implementation activities were realized, 1. Valorization of wetlands 2. Modeling of wetlands 3. Trenches and craters along approximately 700 meters long and 50 to 70 meters wide landscape strip were introduced in Wolfschlugen to mitigate the rise of water during possible flooding. The biotope thus serves as a protection against flooding 4. New plants planted in the area to create a place for the retreat of local citizens 5. In order to observe the animals and the plants better, a small wooden bridge through the densely covered terrain was established (ref 1, 11).

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Restore wetlands and/or coastal ecosystems to dissipate the effects of flooding and/or storms

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Regional government

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The city council (ref 11)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown (LIFE (“The Financial Instrument for the Environment”) is a program launched by the European Commission and coordinated by the Environment Directorate-General (LIFE Unit - E.4) (4). The program produced a document "LIFE and Europe’s wetlands Restoring a vital ecosystem" which contains planning recommendations (4) but no direct reference was made to this in the project documents. )
... a national policy or strategy? Yes (1. In the 1970s Germany signed off on an International Wetlands Convention, agreeing, among other things, to protect its marshlands. 2. The Ramsar Convention is an international agreement for the protection of wetlands of international importance, especially as a habitat for water and water birds. Germany joined the Ramsar Agreement in 1976 and has so far designated 35 Ramsar areas. In Baden-Württemberg region (to which Stuttgart belongs to), the three Ramsar areas of Wollmatingerried (767 hectares) and Mindelsee (459 hectares) and the cross-border Ramsar region of Oberrhein / Rhin are designated as areas of international natural importance (ref 7, 10). )
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

€100,000 - €500,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public regional budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved water quality
  • Increased protection against flooding
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increase in protected green space areas
  • Increased number of protection areas
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Increased number of species present

Economic impacts

  • Reduce financial cost for urban management

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Safety
  • Increased perception of safety

Type of reported impacts

Expected 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. Tomasz Okruszko et al. (2007). Wetlands: Monitoring, Modelling and Management. CRC Press, Available at: Source link. Accessed on 23rd September, 2020.
2. Daniel Meyer, Pascal Molle, Dirk Esser, Stéphane Troesch, Fabio Masi and Ulrich Dittmer. (2013). Constructed Wetlands for Combined Sewer Overflow Treatment—Comparison of German, French and Italian Approaches.
3. ICLEI. (2017). Nature-based solutions for sustainable urban development. ICLEI Briefing Sheet - Nature-based Solutions.
4. (2007). LIFE and Europe’s wetlands: Restoring a vital ecosystem, Available at: Source link. Accessed on 23rd September, 2020.
5. Antje Stokman. (2013). PLANNING, DESIGN, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF URBAN WETLANDS.
6. (2017). Institute for Landscape Planning and Ecology (ILPO), Available at: Source link. Accessed on 23rd Septemebr, 2020.
7. The Local. (2013). German wetlands 'nearly all gone', Available at: Source link. Accessed on 23rd September, 2020.
8. Martin Prominski et al. (2017). Source link, Planning Strategies, Methods, and Projects for Urban Rivers. Second and Enlarged Edition. Berlin, Basel: Birkhäuser, Available at: Source link. Accessed on 23rd September, 2020.
9. Susan Hagood. (2002). Germany: Where Roads and Wildlife Coexist, Source link [Not Available in September, 2020]
10. Ramsar-Feuchtgebiete von internationaler Bedeutung, Available at: Source link. Accessed on 23rd September, 2020.
11. Braitinger, P. (2017). Feuchtgebiet sorgt für mehr Hochwasserschutz, Available at: Source link. Accessed on 23rd September, 2020.