A small wetland nature reserve protecting alder bog forest, moor woodland, and wet heath on the Bergische Heideterrasse near Hilden.
Hildener Heide, südlich Sandberg
The Naturschutzgebiet Hildener Heide, südlich Sandberg is a compact, ecologically rich nature reserve in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies east of the town of Hilden, within the Kreis Mettmann, and forms part of the Bergische Heideterrasse, a landscape known for its mosaic of heath, bog woodland, and wetland habitats.
The reserve is dominated by alder bog forest (Erlenbruchwald), moor woodland, and a northern area of wet heath where purple moor grass and bog birch create a distinctive open habitat. Multiple small drainage channels wind through the eastern edge of the woodland, feeding into a drainage ditch and creating a varied micro-relief of damp, nutrient-poor environments.
Although small, the reserve holds significant conservation value. It is integrated into the Natura 2000 network as part of the larger FFH area "Hilden – Spörkelnbruch" and protects several threatened habitat types, including degraded raised bogs capable of natural regeneration, bog woodlands, and wet heath with bell heather. Its ecological diversity within a compact footprint makes it a meaningful component of the regional protected-area system.
