Cycling through nature worth protecting
The fifth-semester students in the Ecology and Environmental Protection degree programme went on a field trip.
The Ecology and Environmental Protection degree programme, with a specialization in Landscape Use and Nature Conservation, organizes an excursion every year at the beginning of the fifth semester as part of the Landscape Planning I module, led by Prof. Dr. Schulz and, this year, by Dr. rer. nat. Arnstadt.
On the bus ride to the Spreewald, we were able to gain a vivid understanding of the history, technology, and landscape changes associated with lignite mining in Knappenrode, Lichterfelde, Lauchhammer, and the post-mining landscape.
For many of the routes, we used our bikes to explore the countryside away from heavy traffic. While making minor repairs, we also identified some of the weak spots on our bikes. Canoeing in the Spreewald is a must—it’s close to nature and educational. We visited the core zone (the Hochwald) and the Lehde museum village.
On Tuesday, we took a guided tour of the Spreewald Biosphere Reserve, where we learned about the concept of a “Hutewald” (woodland pasture) with Galloway cattle and met a former ecology student from the University of Zittau/Görlitz, who is now responsible for contract-based nature conservation in the meadows.
The second half of the field trip took us to Weißwasser. Along the way, we got to explore the renaturalized division of the Spree: there, the river can once again meander, ripple, and display a diverse aquatic landscape—not just for people.
On Thursday, we were able to enter the Welzow-Süd open-pit mine. Huge spoil piles and a massive coal seam are being moved by gigantic machinery. Standing right next to them, at a depth of 60–90 meters, the full scale of an open-pit mine becomes even more tangible. A piece of coal was also available as a souvenir. Afterward, Forester Rösler from LEAG guided us across the recultivated areas of the open-pit mine, past species-rich communities of trees and shrubs. But we also heard new information about the problems that need to be solved during reclamation. Large-scale, uniform land uses—such as farmland, forests, and the newly formed lakes—cannot compensate for some species loss.
On Friday, we explored Muskau’s Prince Pückler Park and the Muskau Faltenbogen Geopark on a roughly 60-kilometer loop. The picturesque park, with its charming, whimsical castle and diverse outbuildings, offers a striking insight into the art of garden and landscape design. The old Babina mine, with its mining relics, colorful lakes, and large observation tower, vividly illustrates the connection between the landscape and lignite mining. Traces of the glass industry and the outcrop of a lignite layer (“Jeser/Gieser”) rounded out our impressions of the landscape.
On the train ride back to Zittau, we received a warm welcome at the Schloss Niederspree Nature Conservation Center and learned about the joys and challenges of the nature conservation station’s work. A swap meet for the remaining supplies, a donation to the station, and a guided tour of the pond area put everyone in a good mood and rounded out the excursion perfectly. After a week of training, most of us didn’t mind the closure of the Hagenwerder-Zittau route at all.
All in all, it was an educational but also challenging study trip/field trip. The strenuous days and occasional bad weather were more than made up for by the many scenic impressions, lectures, and guided tours, as well as encounters with friendly and knowledgeable people. The field trip brought us closer together as a shared experience.
We would like to thank everyone involved for their organization and personal dedication!
Text: Karl Rutz, Anna Pollmann, and Prof. Reiner Schulz
