A protected wet meadow and stream landscape in Brandenburg supporting rare floodplain habitats.
Feuchtwiesen Atterwasch
Feuchtwiesen Atterwasch is a nature reserve in the Spree-Neiße district of Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, that protects a network of wet meadows, ditches, alluvial forests, and small water bodies along the Schwarze Fließ stream. The reserve lies east of Bärenklau, a locality in the municipality of Schenkendöbern, and forms part of the broader Gubener Land natural region. It is recognized both as a German Naturschutzgebiet and as a Natura 2000 site under the EU Habitats Directive, reflecting its importance for European habitat types and protected species.
The protected area combines lowland wet meadows, marshy ditches, alder woodlands, and small standing waters that create an exceptionally varied mosaic of floodplain habitats. Its central hydrological feature, the Schwarze Fließ, originates northwest of Bärenklau and flows for roughly fifteen kilometers before discharging into the Lusatian Neiße river. This combination of water-rich landforms and managed grasslands makes the area significant for biodiversity conservation in the region.
Feuchtwiesen Atterwasch is especially valued for its contribution to European nature conservation. It supports several Habitats Directive habitat types, including eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or Hydrocharition vegetation, lowland hay meadows, calcareous fens, alluvial forests of black alder and ash, and tall herb fringe communities. The reserve also provides habitat for protected species ranging from European otter and Eurasian beaver to rare dragonflies and butterflies.
