A Natura 2000 protected landscape of lowland rivers, beech forests and bogs in the Angeln peninsula of Schleswig-Holstein.
Wellspanger-Loiter-Oxbek System and Adjacent Forests
The Wellspanger-Loiter-Oxbek System and Adjacent Forests is a Natura 2000 protected area in northern Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It lies within the Angeln peninsula in the Kreis Schleswig-Flensburg, an elongated landscape shaped by glacial deposits and low moraines. The site combines an interconnected river and lake system with several surrounding forest blocks, including the Idstedtwege, Karenberg, Brebelholz, Billwatt and Broholm woodlands along with part of a former military training area at Neuberend.
The protected area is built around a network of streams that feed into the Schlei inlet of the Baltic Sea. The Wellspanger Au, Loiter Au, Füsinger Au, Oxbek and Boholzer Au form a hydrological backbone alongside the long, narrow Langsee. Together they create a gradient of aquatic habitats, marshlands, wet meadows and alder floodplains. Surrounding forests are dominated by beech woodland on better drained soils and by oak, bog woodland and heath on sandier or peatland substrates.
The site is significant because it bundles a wide range of EU-protected habitat types and species within a relatively compact rural landscape. It includes priority bog woodland, calcareous springs, dystrophic stillwaters, dry and wet heaths and old beech forests, while also providing habitat for protected fish, amphibians, bats and rare aquatic plants. Several parts of the area also carry strong cultural traces, from prehistoric megalithic tombs to the historic battlefield of Idstedt.
