The task now is to safeguard the results of this maintenance and development measure. "While heavy machinery was still being used, the goats of Dieno Ehlers from Klein-Mahner are now ensuring that the landscape does not become overgrown again and that nutrients are removed from the soil on a total of 2.5 hectares of grass and scrubland," says district manager Lucas Prescher from the Liebenburg Forestry Office.

This promotes valuable and rare species such as the fringed gentian, the common sunflower and, as an orchid species, the statice orchid. Numerous insects also benefit from the biotope's dry, warm locations and open landscape. "The nature conservation value lies in the "lean" flora adapted to the site and the accompanying very rare insect fauna, which can cope on these stony-dry areas, while it perishes on more vigorous sites, i.e. it is not competitive enough against the species growing abundantly there," says Prescher. Some of these typical nutrient-poor grassland species only occur at this location in the Salzgitter region.

While Galloway cattle have been used for grazing in recent years, goats are mainly used on the areas that have been cleared of grass, as they have an advantage over sheep and cattle in that they are very good at browsing the freshly sprouted shrubs.

Dieno Ehlers is an experienced livestock farmer in the field of landscape conservation who, in addition to Leineschafe sheep, mainly uses Bunte and Weiße Deutsche Edelziege goats for grazing and also produces dairy products and even ice cream from this extensive husbandry.

Depending on the growth and weather conditions, 40 animals will be present in the nature reserve for three to four weeks. As a hillside area in the south of the nature reserve will also be grazed, use of the hiking trail to Kassebusch will be restricted for a while. Visitors are asked for their understanding for the temporary closure due to the maintenance measures. The project is being carried out in close coordination with the Lower Nature Conservation Authority of the City of Salzgitter.