Landscape Conservation Association County Göttingen e.V.

In the sub-project of the Landschaftspflegeverband (LPV) Landkreis Göttingen e. V., the research results regarding insect-friendly maintenance of grassland, which are gained within the framework of BioDivKultur, are to be communicated sustainably to the relevant actors of grassland management in rural areas (farmers, machinery ring, machinery manufacturers, landscape maintenance, etc.).

Landscape conservation associations operate nationwide as non-profit registered associations, each at the county level. Its purpose is to promote nature conservation and landscape management. This is done, among other things, through a professional qualification of the people working in nature conservation and landscape management – especially the local farmers. Due to its cooperative approach and 27 years of existence, the LPV Göttingen is well networked with the actors in rural areas and has established itself as an important contact.

Due to the fact that the extent of insect mortality has also become known among those working in practical agriculture in recent years, the need for information and the will to change something about working practices has also increased among this group. Due to the large share of agricultural land in Germany’s total area (in 2020, according to the Federal Environment Agency, 50.6% of Germany’s land was used for agriculture; of this, almost one-third was in the form of permanent grassland), there is also a high potential for promoting biodiversity here.

Within the framework of the project, practical guidelines, advisory documents and concepts for information events are to be created, which will communicate the scientific findings of the TU Darmstadt with regard to insect-friendly grassland management in a comprehensible way. These should be available for use by educational institutions, agricultural extension services, and associations active in the agricultural environment. Beforehand, the materials and concepts are tested and evaluated with active farmers, trainees and students in the agricultural sector from the district of Göttingen.

The educational materials are created with a claim to general applicability so that they can be used nationwide once completed. On the one hand, a change in thinking is to be stimulated among the target groups, which questions conventional, biodiversity-damaging practices and creates openness for new methods. On the other hand, concrete recommendations for action are to be given, which are individually adapted to the needs of the respective target group.