Landschaftsagentur Plus

Landschaftsagentur Plus GmbH, Datteln/Germany, has undertaken its first grazing project on behalf of RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Essen and RAG Montan Immobilien GmbH, Essen, in Saarland. An Aubrac herd (Figure 1) has been introduced as part of the remediation of the former Saarland refinery site in Völklingen and the Lydia tip in Quierschied. To counteract the intrusion into nature and the landscape in these areas, the site in Völklingen-Fürstenhausen is now undergoing near-natural management.

Reinhold Jost, Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection in Saarland, and Christiane Blatt, Mayor of Völklingen, were pictured at the site yesterday.

“One of the things we had to do as part of the remediation process was to create a new habitat for the woodlarks,” explains Rudolf Krumm, authorised representative for RAG Montan Immobilien. The neighbouring 13 ha of land was prepared with this in mind. Woodlarks, which are ground-breeding birds, prefer a semi-open, structured landscape in a sunny location with places to sing and observe the surrounding area. They also need scattered vegetation near the edge of the forest, as well as dry sandy areas and clearances.

“The grazing project was the obvious choice for maintaining an open environment, as grazing is more sustainable than mowing,” explains Martin Strauß, Managing Director of Landschaftsagentur Plus. The land is now being kept clear by a large herd of Aubrac cattle. It’s not the first project of this kind for Strauß; “We have already made a great success of this type of landscape conservation in North Rhine-Westphalia.” Landschaftsagentur Plus transferred the animals to Fürstenhausen from the river meadows of the Lippe in Datteln, where they have been keeping the wetlands clear for several years. The Aubrac herd has a breeding bull and two mother cows, each with one calf and two young offspring. “We are planning to expand the grazing area by 8 ha and increase the size of the herd over the coming years,” explains Strauß.

With the introduction of the cattle herd, the agricultural land in Völklingen-Fürstenhausen is now being ecologically enhanced. The project was planned in close consultation with the responsible authorities, experienced local farmer Frank Bessoth and Landschaftsagentur Plus.

Aubrac cattle are an old, robust breed from France, and are known for their resilience, contentment and longevity. With their colouring and their eye spots, they strongly resemble their ancestors, the aurochs. (RAG MI/Si.)

Landscape agency Landschaftsagentur Plus will be collaborating on future ventures with earthworks laboratory Erdbaulaboratorium Saar GmbH, Riegelsberg/Germany. The two organisations have signed a cooperation agreement to formalise their partnership (Figure 1). “By signing this agreement, we are taking another important step to safeguard our company’s future,” explains Martin Strauß, Managing Director of Landschaftsagentur Plus. Erdbaulaboratorium Saar (ELS) and Landschaftsagentur Plus have been working towards a possible partnership for several months. By pooling their extensive skills and expertise in their respective fields, both organisations can access new and exciting market opportunities, both in the Saarland and beyond.

Geoscientific engineering company ELS specialise in technical and business consultation and inspection services, in particular conducting ground surveys and compiling specialist reports on soil mechanics, earthworks, foundation engineering, geotechnics and environmental impact. Besides their well-established operations in the fields of geotechnics and site contamination, the company’s service portfolio has expanded over the years to include the specialist areas of hydrology/groundwater modelling, building demolition/dismantling planning and surface water seepage.

“In any building project, the developer responsible is faced with technical and economical questions that need answers,” explains Friedwalt Weber, Managing Director of ELS. “And then there’s the matter of what we call the green issues.” It is not uncommon for building projects to impact on nature and landscapes. The developer is required to either minimise these impacts or compensate for them at another location. These measures are presented in an accompanying landscape conservation plan. For the developer, this means employing the services of numerous partners.

“And that’s where our cooperation agreement comes in,” adds Strauß. Landschafts-agentur Plus provides services for all aspects of impact management. Whether measures to compensate or replace, species conservation requirements or legally required reforestation, Landschaftsagentur Plus takes care of all the tasks involved in the approval process, right through to the execution and ongoing support of the compensation obligations. “As cooperative partners, we can now offer the developers a one-stop shop for tailored solutions.”

This is not the first time the two companies have joined forces. They have both been working in association with RAG Montan Immobilien for years. “We recognise and value one another’s skills and expertise. We bring these together as cooperation partners and act as a single point of contact for the customer. This makes us unique on the market,” explain the two managing directors.

Landschaftsagentur Plus is a joint venture company of RAG Montan Immobilien GmbH, Essen/Germany, together with HVG Grünflächenmanagement GmbH, Gelsenkirchen/Germany. (ELS/Landschaftsagentur Plus/Si.)