Protected biotopes are habitats for specific plant and animal species. These habitats deserve special protection because they are rare, have high ecological value, and/or are threatened with destruction.

There are laws and international agreements in place to protect these habitats. In Lower Saxony, the following habitat types are subject to special legal protection under Section 30 of the Nature Conservation and Landscape Management Act (BNatSchG):

• natural or near-natural areas of flowing and standing inland waters, including their banks and the associated natural or near-natural riparian vegetation, as well as their natural or near-natural areas of siltation, oxbow lakes, and regularly flooded areas,
• bogs, swamps, reed beds, large sedge meadows, wet meadows rich in sedges and rushes, spring areas, inland salt marshes,
• open inland dunes, open natural boulder fields, scree slopes, and gravel bars, clay and loess cliffs, dwarf shrub, broom, and juniper heaths, mat-grass grasslands, dry grasslands, heavy-metal-tolerant grasslands, forests and shrubs in warm, dry locations,
• swamp, marsh, and floodplain forests; ravine, boulder field, and slope scree forests; subalpine larch and larch-swiss stone pine forests;
• open rock formations, caves, and near-natural tunnels, alpine grasslands, snow basins, and dwarf shrub thickets,
• rocky and steep coasts, coastal dunes and beach ridges, coastal lakes, Bodden waters with siltation areas, salt marshes and mudflats in coastal areas, seagrass beds and other marine macrophyte communities, reefs, sublittoral sandbanks, mudflats with burrowing megafauna, as well as species-rich gravel, coarse sand, and shale bottoms in marine and coastal areas,
• nutrient-poor lowland hay meadows and mountain hay meadows as defined in Annex I of Directive 92/43/EEC, orchard meadows, stone hedgerows, and dry stone walls.

In addition, pursuant to Section 24 of the Lower Saxony Nature Conservation Act (NNatSchG), the following habitat types are subject to special legal protection:

• wet meadows rich in tall forbs as well as other species-rich wet and damp grasslands,
• mountain meadows,
• mesophilic grasslands,
• fruit tree meadows and pastures covering an area of more than 2,500 m ² consisting of standard fruit trees with a trunk height of more than 1.60 m (scattered orchards), and
• sinkholes.

The protection of other biotopes may result from specific legal provisions for the protection of certain areas.

Actions that could lead to the destruction or significant impairment of these habitats, including their typical flora and fauna, are prohibited. Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis if the adverse effects can be mitigated. Damage to and destruction of specially protected biotopes, even if caused by ignorance, are unlawful. The party responsible may be required to restore the area to its original condition.

Legally protected biotopes are identified by the municipality, joint municipality, and city and registered in a directory of protected natural and landscape areas. Owners and authorized users are notified in writing of their inclusion in this register. The municipalities, joint municipalities, and cities maintain extracts from this register. Anyone may inspect this register and the extracts in accordance with the NAGBNatSchG.