Konrad Schinkinger loves flower meadows. And not just because they are so colorful and bloom all summer long. “The image of such flower meadows is so unobtrusive, so harmonious, there is nothing flashy about it,” he says in a short film about himself and his passion. “They’re just there and have a stand. And that’s a nice thing.” Schinkinger is a small farmer in Pfraundorf in the Rosenheim district, “who inherited a Sachl with four hectares of land, which he farms in a natural way,” as he says. And he has always regretted that the flower meadows in his region are becoming increasingly rare.
Then Schinkinger found out that the Rosenheim landscape conservation association was starting the project “I am a bumblebee, and there I am at home”. Within this framework, new flower meadows should be established. Although only on a total of six hectares and spread across four communities in the region, but at least. “That spoke to me immediately,” says Schinkinger. Since then, he has been harvesting the seeds for the flower meadows using a special machine – because only regional flower seeds are used -, drying them and packaging them. He then passes it on to his colleagues who do the sowing.
You can admire the success on the Ratzinger Höhe, from which you have a magnificent view not only of Lake Chiemsee, but also of the Kampenwand, the symbol of Chiemgau. Until a few years ago, the meadow that the landscape conservation association looks after was a grassy field where dandelions might have bloomed in the spring, but hardly any other flowers. Today the delicate purple meadow knapweed, red clover and yellow horn trefoil thrive there, but also the buttercup, popularly known as buttercup, the meadow bedstraw, the ribwort plantain and many other meadow flowers and herbs. A true paradise for bees, bumblebees, butterflies, beetles and other insects.
“I’m a bumblebee and I’m at home!” is one of 30 projects with which landscape conservation associations throughout Bavaria want to bring more diversity to local meadow landscapes and thereby do something for the local insect world. They all have the motto “Naturally Bavaria” and were created as a result of the shock that the so-called Krefeld study from 2017 caused among the population and politicians. The study was the first of its kind to show losses of 75 percent or more across all insect species in Germany between 1889 and 2016. The main reason for the death of insects is intensive agriculture with its massive use of artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides.
The farmer Konrad Schinkinger with his harvesting machine for meadow flower seeds.
(Photo: German Association for Landscape Conservation)
Whether in Aichach-Friedberg in Swabia or in Dingolfing-Landau in Lower Bavaria, in Ansbach in Central Franconia or in Amberg-Sulzbach in the Upper Palatinate, in Bamberg or in the Rosenheim district: thanks to “Naturally Bavaria”, species-rich flower meadows have been created everywhere since 2018. But that’s not all. Borders, hedges and roadsides have also been upgraded to give insects corridors from one habitat to another. In the Altötting district, they have even transformed the dam of the Alz Canal into an insect biotope, which is now largely maintained by a herd of goats instead of mowing machines. And in the Günzburg district, the banks of 25 kilometers of moats became dragonfly paths on which meadowsweet and loosestrife now bloom. There were also training courses for farmers, construction yard employees and other interested parties.
The landscape conservation associations that took part in “Naturally Bavaria” are ideal for such projects. In them, conservationists, farmers and municipalities work closely together instead of – as is often the case – eyeing each other with suspicion. And they are highly respected by the state government, which is also reflected in the fact that it provides strong financial support for their work. “Naturally Bavaria,” for example, was funded by the Ministry of the Environment with three million euros. The CSU environmental politician Josef Göppel was the inventor of the landscape conservation associations and the German Association for Landscape Conservation (DVL). Since his death a year and a half ago, the SPD MEP Maria Noichl has been at the head of the DVL.
“The decline of insects continues,” says the researcher
All in all, “Naturally Bavaria” has created 670 hectares of new flowering meadows and strips, as Noichl proudly says. Even if that is equivalent to around a thousand football pitches, it will not even begin to stop the death of insects in Bavaria. For this to happen, the state government would have to “tweak the really crucial adjustments” a lot more, says the butterfly researcher at the State Zoological Collection in Munich, Andreas Segerer, who has a good overview of the insect situation in Bavaria. “So massively restrict the use of agricultural chemicals and promote the expansion of organic agriculture.”
But the state government is not doing this, at least not to the extent that conservationists and experts demand. On the contrary. For example, in the future contract for agriculture that Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) recently signed with the Bavarian Farmers’ Association, organic farming is not mentioned at all – although the state government has legally committed to increasing its share to 30 percent by 2030. “But if organic farming does not make significant progress, the death of insects will continue,” says Segerer. “Even if it’s no longer in the headlines every day.”
At the same time, Segerer admits that initiatives like “Naturally Bavaria” can alleviate the dramatic situation a little on a small scale. They also see it that way with the landscape conservation associations. “All 30 projects were a great success,” says DVL boss Noichl. “That’s why we definitely want to continue it.” There are also signals from the Ministry of the Environment for further funding. One person who will continue in any case is the Rosenheim farmer and flower meadow lover Schinkinger. “Here in the Rosenheim district we still have maybe 20 or 30 really large, great flower meadows,” he says. “That’s too few.”