Equalisation and renaturation measures - section between Dresdner Straße and Walkmühlenweg

After the tracks of the Gottleuba Valley railway were dismantled in 2002, nature developed largely undisturbed in the area of the railway embankment. Flower-rich ruderal vegetation* as well as hedges, bushes and individual trees such as bramble, field maple and alder established themselves. The area serves as a potential and actual habitat, feeding, hunting and foraging area as well as a migration corridor for various protected species.

This is favoured by the location of the partially directly adjacent flora and fauna habitat area (FFH area) ‘Gottleuba Valley and adjacent deciduous forests’ as well as other neighbouring near-natural areas such as the park-like cemetery and various allotment gardens.

The species found in the area of the former railway embankment include insects such as wild bees and the Russian bear (Spanish flag), various breeding bird species such as the whitethroat, green woodpecker, redstart and red-backed shrike and various bat species such as the pug bat, greater mouse-eared bat and lesser horseshoe bat. There are also reptiles such as the sand lizard, which prefers old railway embankments due to the alternation between overgrown areas and well-sunlit spots for thermoregulatio

The conversion of the railway embankment into a footpath and cycle path had an impact on nature and the landscape, but this was compensated for by various measures. More than 30 new trees were subsequently planted to replace the felled trees. New flower-rich hedge structures were planted to compensate for the hedges and bushes that were removed. A gravel path had formed next to and on the railway embankment, which was unsealed after the construction of the footpath and cycle path and will be left to succession. The installed lighting is species-appropriate and the lighting level is limited to the functional minimum by a motion detector.

In the area between Dresdner Straße and Waschhausweg, which used to be particularly overgrown with shrubs and deciduous trees, six reptile habitats were created along the new footpath and cycle path, as can be seen here directly at the information point. Branches and brushwood from felled and thinned out trees as well as crushed natural stones were piled up to create cavities and sand was piled up. In combination with the neighbouring vegetation, this provides a habitat for sand lizards in particular, offering cover, food, sun and shade in the immediate vicinity.

* Ruderal sites (Latin rudus = rubble) are man-made wastelands where the original vegetation has been destroyed, the soil structure altered and, as a result, different living conditions created. Plants and animals settle on artificial soils that have been left to their own devices, consisting of embankments, gravel or (rubble) debris.