Shallow lake with great diversity: Dümmer is “Living Lake of the Year 2022”

Radolfzell, 22.03.2022: For the second time after 2017, when the Steinhuder Meer was chosen, the “Living Lake of the Year” award goes to Lower Saxony this year: The Dümmer is the 2022 title holder, as Global Nature Fund (GNF) and Network Living Lakes Germany (NLSD) announced today on the occasion of World Water Day.

With a water surface area of around 1,300 hectares, the Dümmer is the second largest lake in the state of Lower Saxony after the Steinhuder Meer. The valuable ecosystem, which also includes adjacent wet grassland areas, covers around 4,760 hectares. The lake, which was formed around 11,000 years ago during the last ice age, is only 1.10 meters deep on average and at no point deeper than 1.40 meters – and perhaps for this very reason it is a hotspot of biodiversity, especially for rare birds. It is one of the five wetlands of international importance in Lower Saxony that are protected under the RAMSAR Convention and is part of the European NATURA 2000 system of protected areas.

“The Dümmer is an example of how nature forms fascinating networks,” explains Bettina Schmidt, Project Manager at the Global Nature Fund. “That’s why our Living Lake of the Year award goes to the lake, but also to its unique interconnectedness with other ecosystems, such as the extensive wetlands and meadows in its surroundings. This small-scale network is the reason why a particularly large number of bird species – some of which are extremely endangered – live in the area on and around the Dümmer, including garganey, shoveler and bluethroat.” The wet grassland in turn attracts meadow birds such as snipe, black-tailed godwit, lapwing, redshank and curlew – even the very rare spotted crake is occasionally observed. The pond rose fields on the lake provide a breeding ground for the largest colony of black terns in Lower Saxony. And ospreys and white-tailed eagles circle above the water and benefit from the abundant food supply in the lake.

“We are proud to be able to look after this species-rich Dümmer wetland, which is so important for nature conservation,” says Frank Apffelstaedt from the Ökologische Station Naturschutzring Dümmer e.V. “However, we are also taking on a great responsibility for maintaining the current state of the ecosystem and, if possible, improving it even further. This not only involves a lot of work for many full-time staff and volunteers. The key to success is the local network of nature conservation authorities from the state, the districts of Diepholz, Vechta and Osnabrück, the Dümmer Nature Conservation Ring and other nature conservation associations, as well as the involvement of tourism, water sports and agriculture. There are major challenges that we have to overcome together: In summer, many thousands of day tourists exert massive pressure on the Dümmer. Excessive nutrient input into the lake comes from the catchment area of the Hunte, the main tributary of the Dümmer. As the water level is kept high in summer, contrary to the natural course, the reedbed in the bank area lacks the opportunity to regenerate. And these are just some of the problems for which we have to keep finding solutions in collaboration with municipalities, authorities and local people.”

The measures taken are based, among other things, on extensive population surveys of waterfowl, waders and reedbed birds. Reedbeds are an endangered habitat in many lake regions in Germany. This is why the reedbeds on the lakeshore are specifically preserved and promoted. Based on the experience of several pilot projects, the Naturschutzring Dümmer e.V. is relying on a targeted combination of palisade and fence construction in order to reduce erosion caused by wave impact and to create calm areas in front of the existing reeds in which the reed plants can gradually spread again. The eroded lake bed can be restored by injecting sand. Volunteers maintain the network of small bodies of water around the lake, allowing water and wading birds, amphibians, fish and rare plants to thrive. The Ökologische Station Naturschutzring Dümmer e.V. is also campaigning for the renaturation of raised bogs in the wider vicinity of the lake. Public relations work and contact with visitors to the Dümmer region is another focus of its activities. Themed tours are offered on the lake, through the wet meadows and into the surrounding raised bogs. According to the environmentalists, it is crucial to enable sustainable nature experiences: those that are fun and take advantage of the high recreational value of the Dümmer habitat, but also impart the knowledge necessary to preserve the current “Living Lake of the Year”.

The Wilo-Foundation’s support of the Living Lakes Network Germany makes it possible to pass on the important experiences from the Dümmer to other lake regions in Germany. The foundation supports water-related projects worldwide, including initiatives of the Global Nature Fund. With the help of the Wilo-Foundation, the network was also able to recruit the rowers of the German eight, multiple world and European champions, as ambassadors for “Living Lakes Germany”.

The Global Nature Fund (GNF) and the Living Lakes Network Germany annually nominate the “Living Lake of the Year” on UN World Water Day, March 22. The award draws attention to lakes and wetlands as valuable ecosystems and unique natural treasures and highlights achievements in their protection. The initiative is based on the international “Threatened Lake of the Year” campaign. Combined with activities throughout the year, the campaign contributes to solving problems in lakes and wetlands.

The Dümmer is one of the partner lakes in the German Living Lakes Network, represented by the Naturschutzring Dümmer e.V., which has been committed to the preservation and development of nature at the Dümmer and the neighboring regions (Diepholz, Vechta, Osnabrück districts) since 1993. The Living Lakes Network Germany was founded in 2009 by the Global Nature Fund and is linked to the globally active Living Lakes Network, a platform for cooperation on the permanent and sustainable development of lakes with over 130 organizations. The Living Lakes Network Germany was recognized as an official project of the UN Decade on Biodiversity in 2016.