Landscape Protection Areas
Landscape protection areas (Landschaftsschutzgebiete) are areas designated in a legally binding manner, under art. 26 para. 1 of Germany's Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG), "require special protection with regard to nature and landscape
- in order to conserve, develop or restore the efficiency and proper functioning of the natural balance, or the capability of natural resources to regenerate themselves and to be available for sustainable use, and to protect living sites and habitats of certain wild fauna and flora species,
- because of the diversity, special characteristics, beauty or special cultural-historical significance of their landscapes, or
- because of their special importance for recreation."
Landscape protection areas are generally larger than nature conservation areas and have fewer restrictions on land use. Activities that change the 'character' of the area are prohibited. Forestry and farming may be restricted where they change the character of the area or are incompatible with its protection purpose.
Germany currently has 7,409 landscape protection areas covering a total of 10.2 million ha, or some 28,5 percent of the country's land surface (information as of 31 December 2009). This percentage is exceeded in the states (Länder) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland and Brandenburg. Forest regions in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia and Bavaria in particular tend to be designated as landscape protection areas.
Landscape protection areas offer a wide range of options for protection, but are not always effective in attaining their protection purpose because many user interests (farming and forestry uses, building, transport, etc.) compete with the protection aim. Because their main focus is on protecting abiotic resources, landscape protection areas are often regarded as buffer zones for nature conservation areas.
Percentage of land designated as Landscape protection areas in the German Länder and in Germany as a whole (as of 12/2009)
data table with legend
1) Real surface area of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (MV) (with sovereign waters): 3.099.400 ha, Landscape protection areas equate to 22.4 percent of this total, 63.700 ha of Landscape protection areas in MV are overlapped by Nature conservation areas. The total area of Landscape protection areas in MV covers 751.9800 ha, including the Landscape protection area "Greifswalder Bodden (56.300 ha)", which is located outside the statistical territory. as of 02/2010
2) as of 12/2004
Literature:
LEICHT, HANS (1991): Fachliche Gesichtspunkte zur Verbesserung des Instrumentariums Landschaftsschutzgebiet (LSG). - Schriftenreihe des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Umweltschutz - 96, München, p. 17 - 36
DIETMANN, THOMAS (1991): Studie über Wirksamkeit von Landschaftsschutzgebietsverordnungen. - Schriftenreihe des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Umweltschutz - 96, München, p. 5 - 16 und 37 - 82.
ALFRED-TOEPFER-AKADEMIE FÜR NATURSCHUTZ (Eds.) (1998): Ausweisung von Landschaftsschutzgebieten. - Mitteilungen aus der NNA - 9, H.1, Schneverdingen, p. 33 - 50.
RIEDL, ULRICH (2000): Landschaftsschutzgebiete. - Landesamt für Umwelt und Geologie (Eds.), Dresden, 27 pp.
