Programme Grantees Meeting 20. - 24.09.2010

Domestic Animal Diversity and Wildlife Conservation Programmes in Germany's oldest animal park - founded in 1571. Sababurg Tierpark is partner in international conservation breeding programmes for wisent, wild horse, wolves, deer and a number of old livestock breeds. Also belonging to Sababurg is Germany's oldes nature conservancy - an old oak forest with 800 - 1000 year old oak trees and fern undergrowth, being the relict of a former silvo-pastoral ecosystem.

Hainich is a large deciduous wooded area in Thuringia and is situated in central Germany not far from the town of Eisenach with the famous Wartburg Castle. With a total area of ca. 16,000 hectares (13,000 hectares of which is forest), Hainich is the largest continuous area of deciduous woodland in Germany. On the 31.12.1997 the southern part of Hainich, with an area of 7,500 hectares, was declared Germany’s 13th National Park. Since then it has been seen as a place of relaxation close to nature that is open to sustainable tourism. The area has gone through an amazing development which is quite unique.

The village of Jühnde near Göttingen is Germany’s first bioenergy village. The concept goes back to the year 2001, when the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainable Development of the University of Göttingen started the project „The bio energy village - conditions and consequences of independent heat and power supply through biomass for agriculture, the ecosystem and life culture in the rural area” in Jühnde. A biogas plant and a biomass heating station use agricultural raw materials to produce electricity and heat for the entire village. Because of the large international public interest in the project the Center for Renewable Energies was created to better inform visitors about the history, advantages and consequences of using renewable energy sources.