Around 30 citizens took part in this kick-off event, at which Michael Buntfsz and Dr. Dierk Kownatzki (Environment Department of the City of Salzgitter) and Tobias Weinrich (LaReG planning association) presented the planning for the creation of a so-called management concept for the Natura 2000 area "Salzgitterscher Höhenzug (southern section)". The protected area extends south of Salzgitter-Bad over an area of 260 hectares and is characterized by beech and oak forests, rough grassland and meadows.

This planning is based on the "Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive (FFH)" of the European Union from 1992, which is implemented in Germany through protected area regulations. The central aim of these protected area regulations and the planned management concept is to protect the natural areas in the Natura 2000 sites and to align their economic use with the protection of the plant and animal species native to these areas. Michael Buntfusz, Head of the Environment Department of the City of Salzgitter, emphasized: "In many areas, the condition of the protected area is already good today. Our primary goal is to preserve the existing habitats and biodiversity. In the few areas where the condition of fauna and flora is unfavorable, we need to coordinate suitable measures together with all owners and users."

A major advantage of drawing up a management concept is that development goals and appropriate measures are formulated together with all users involved on the basis of a description and assessment of the habitats of the protected area.

As part of the concept development process, employees of the LaReG planning association will spend around a week in the protected area in the spring to gain a detailed impression of the site.

The City of Salzgitter's Environment Department plans to complete the concept development in close dialog with all those involved by December.

A similar concept is also being drawn up this year for two other Natura 2000 areas ("Heerter See" and "Tagebau Haverlahwiese").