KiebitzLand: New project started for the endangered lapwing in BW!

KiebitzLand: New project started for the endangered lapwing in BW!

A new nature conservation project called “KiebitzLand” has been started in Baden-Württemberg to offer the critically endangered lapwing a new home. The iconic bird, with its distinctive black and white plumage and upturned feathers, has dramatically declined in numbers in recent decades. In fact, the occurrence of the lapwing has declined by about 92 percent since 1992. The official starting signal for the project was given recently in Sauldorf in the Sigmaringen district by Environment Minister Thekla Walker from the Green Party. The lapwing is one of the endangered species that suffers from the influence of intensive agriculture, pesticide use and extreme weather conditions.

The “KiebitzLand” project is carried out by the German Nature Conservation Association (NABU) and aims to promote the reintroduction of the lapwing in Baden-Württemberg. To this end, twelve so-called core areas are to be set up across the country. Here lapwings can breed undisturbed and raise their chicks. The various measures include, among other things, creating shallow pools for foraging and protecting the nests from predators.

Protective measures and cooperation

A key element of the project is working in partnership with farmers. They are encouraged to make space available and also receive financial support in return. Farmers can expect compensation for loss of yields if they are managed in a nature-friendly manner. In addition, the grazing of cattle in the project areas is promoted in order to create open areas that are optimal for lapwings.

The first four of the planned core areas, which will be created in Ammerbuch, Dunningen, Sauldorf and Bad Dürrheim, will be ready by spring 2025 and will be protected by protective fences and nesting baskets. These “lapwing islands” provide safe habitats where the birds are protected from predators such as foxes. Comprehensive monitoring is ensured by area managers who monitor the fences, check nest protection baskets and count the lapwing population.

Financial support

The state of Baden-Württemberg is supporting the project, which is to be implemented over a period of five years, with around four million euros. This commitment to nature conservation is a step in the right direction to strengthen biodiversity in the region. Due to the drastic decline in the lapwing population, which fell to just 300 to 400 breeding pairs in 2016, the establishment of protection projects is more urgent than ever.

Habitat loss is one of the main causes of these population declines. Intensive agriculture, pesticides, extreme weather conditions and human disruption are major contributors. The “KiebitzLand” project aims to create optimal living conditions that will enable the lapwing to become at home again in Baden-Württemberg.

In order to ensure the successful implementation of the project in the long term, the measures are also being integrated into the country's existing agricultural support system. Together with farmers, a sustainable way should be found to preserve the lapwing in its ancestral homeland and give it a future.

“KiebitzLand” represents significant progress in the fight for the survival of this unique bird species and shows how important cooperation between nature conservation organizations, farmers and politicians is. Further information about the project can be found at swr.de and baden-wuerttemberg.nabu.de.