Compensation

Port planners create habitats for nature

As the port expands, valuable natural areas are lost. The environment loses tidal habitats, with wet and sandy areas, as well as the brackwater zone with its tidal mudflats, salt meadows and brackish reed beds. Accordingly, ecological compensation has to be made elsewhere.

The statutory regulations demand comprehensive compensation. Former farmland is to be turned into ecologically valuable zones. Two locations were selected for this task: Grosse Luneplate to the south of Bremerhaven, and an area on the Wursten coastline north of the city, close to the villages of Cappel and Spieka.

The central substitute site for CT 4 is on Luneplate. The land behind the dyke is to be flooded in the endless circle of turning tides - but carefully controlled, to ensure that the residential areas in the neighbouring marshland remain safe.

A new flood barrier is under construction on the Weser especially for that purpose, to protect the hinterland from storm tides. The new eco-landscape, criss-crossed with artificial tidal channels and bordered by a dam, will be largely left to its own devices once the workmen and excavators have left the scene.

At the Wursten coast, bremenports open up the lower summer dyke. The area between that and the main dyke can then be flooded by the high tides of the North Sea - a crucial factor for upgrading the ecological rating of this area on the outskirts of the Lower Saxony Mudflats national park.

On Tegeler Plate, bremenports has already proved just how successfully the effects of environmental impact can be compensated for. The outer dyke area near Dedesdorf has meanwhile evolved into a veritable paradise for flora and fauna. Many rare species of bird have settled here and the secluded refuge has developed into a breeding ground of national importance.

Environmental Compatibility
Noise Protection Measures

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