Leipzig fights for wildlife protection: What the city council is planning!

Leipzig fights for wildlife protection: What the city council is planning!

Leipzig, Deutschland - On May 21, 2025, the city council of Leipzig decided to work for the protection of wild animals. This decision came at a time when the threats of the wild animals are steadily increasing. In a detailed discussion, the Green City Councilor Anne Vollerthun reported on the challenges of wild bird aid and presented alarming statistics on the daily injured birds in Leipzig. The causes of these injuries are diverse and range from the destruction of their habitats to dangers from cars and glass surfaces. The building renovations also contribute to the endangerment of the animals. The support of cities and municipalities in wildlife is crucial.

The SPD city councilor Andreas Geisler addressed the problem of fatal traffic accidents that affect wild animals such as deer, foxes and badgers. In this context, he represented the urgency of measures that are necessary to ensure safe coexistence between humans and animals. Even if the application for the financial support of the wildlife park was rejected with 60,000 euros annually, a change application from the SPD parliamentary group to promote this park and an application for the Greens for the organization of a round table for the development of a concept for dealing with wild animals on the urban website with a narrow majority was accepted.

wild animals in Leipzig: Challenges and initiatives

The discussion about the protection of wild animals in urban areas is supplemented by further initiatives such as those of the NABU regional association Leipzig e.V. This informs about the various wild animals that live in urban areas. While animals such as birds, squirrels and amphibians can be observed during the day, fox, hedgehogs and martens are usually active at night. Many species have adapted to human proximity, but they are increasingly in need. The NABU has found that the number of emergencies in wild animals is constantly increasing, which is often due to human interventions in their habitats. In order to meet the high number of inquiries to support wild animals, monthly wildlife advice will be offered from 2025.

This wild animal advice takes place every second Wednesday of the month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the NABU nature protection station. The first consultation is planned for January 8, 2025. The NABU often receives questions about topics such as the help for hedgehogs, feeding ducks and the correct behavior in dealing with wild animals such as deer or foxes.

The global context and the need for action

The problem of wildlife protection is not only a local challenge, but is shown worldwide. According to the USDA Forest Service , biodiversity decreases globally, which is mainly caused by human activities such as urbanization and climate change. The loss of habitats leads to a decline in biodiversity, which threatens both flora and fauna. It is crucial to promote local habitats in cities to combat the loss of biodiversity and to support healthy plant and animal populations.

The success of urban nature conservation measures depends heavily on the decisions of urban planning. Measures such as the choice of plant species and the care of green areas play a crucial role. The development of healthy habitats not only supports the animal world, but also improves the quality of life of people in these cities.

The initiatives of the city of Leipzig, combined with the efforts of the NABU, show that there is an active need to give wild animals more protection and support in order to promote sustainable coexistence.