The return of the white storks: NRW's success story of species protection!
The return of the white storks: NRW's success story of species protection!
The Weißstork has experienced an unprecedented return in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), which dates from the dark 1990s when the species was about to extend. At that time, the NABU counted just three breeding pairs in the entire region. Intensive agriculture, the use of pesticides and dangerous overland lines had greatly decimated the inventory. However, the committed work of nature conservation associations, farmers and nature conservation authorities has done a lot in the past decades to return the stork. Currently, in 2023, brewing a total of 784 white stork pairs that raise 1,491 young birds, reports .
The successful return of the storks is a shining example of successful nature conservation measures. Measures such as upgrading and creating new habitats have contributed significantly to this. The Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport in NRW points out that the decline in storks in the 1990s was also due to the damaged habitat. Volunteers and authorities work hand in hand to develop wet meadows and floodplain habitats and thus create an environment in which the storks can thrive again.
Current population and breeding areas
The number of breeding pairs is particularly noteworthy: in 2022, 705 breeding pairs with 1,203 young birds were counted. The district of Minden-Lübbecke is with 133 breeding pairs of the leaders, followed by Wesel (97 couples), Paderborn (74 couples) and Münster (71 couples). This data prove the positive trend and recovery of the stork population in the region, such as Environment.nrw.deAn interesting feature of the storks in NRW is its adaptability. Around 80 percent of the storks are having artificial nesting platforms these days, while only 18 percent breed on trees. In addition, many storks show a changed train behavior: a large number hibernates on the Iberian peninsula today, which significantly shorten the flight routes.
habitats and tourist offers
In NRW, storks prefer to settle on floors such as the Weser, Ems, Lippe and Ruhr, but also near the city. A particularly attractive habitat for storks is a bustlich on the Lower Rhine, which offers the ideal conditions with its damp meadows, excavator holes and ponds. A 14 km long stork route was set up there, where eleven nests can be found that can be visited between April and August. A manufacturing that also contributes to the experience in this area is the stork cam of the home club Bislich, which enables live observations of the storks.
An outstanding example of the successful return of the white stork is the city of Petershagen, which proudly describes itself as the "Storchen capital of North Rhine -Westphalia" and came up with 48 breeding pairs in 2024. There is a permanent exhibition on the life of the storks and an impressive 60 -kilometer -long stork route that attracts many nature lovers.
In order to further promote the success in nature conservation, the state government plans to have an extensive package of measures to strengthen nature and species protection. This includes, among other things, the doubling of the state funds for nature conservation and the designation of further bird sanctuary. Environment Minister Oliver Krischer emphasizes the importance of the protection of species: "Loss of species is one of the greatest ecological threats to mankind", as he emphasizes on the occasion of the international day of species protection.
The return of the white storks symbolically stands for the successes in nature and species protection in NRW. Through committed projects and the cooperation of everyone involved, it was shown that it is possible to save endangered species and revitalize habitats. Nature in North Rhine -Westphalia is blooming again, and the white storks are an important sign of this positive change.
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