600 sheep parade through Nuremberg's city center
Several hundred sheep are to parade through the middle of Nuremberg's city center on Sunday. Shepherd Thomas Gackstatter will also cross the main market square with his flock on Sunday morning. Every year in November, he sets off with his animals in this way to the winter pastures west of Nuremberg. In summer, the herd grazes on various meadows in the city.
Sheep as landscape conservationists in the city - this is a matter of course in Nuremberg, explains Gisa Treiber from the environmental department. In addition to Gackstatter, other shepherds are out and about with their flocks to graze the grass in nature reserves and on inaccessible areas such as steep landfill slopes. This leaves bushes and shrubs standing, creating a special biotope. "This is valuable for biodiversity," said Treiber.
In the east of Nuremberg, Gackstatter's herd regularly becomes an attraction for children and families in a residential area during the warmer months. They have also become part of the landscape for walkers and cyclists in the meadows along the Pegnitz. For the migrating shepherds, however, the work is sometimes a challenge - when they have to cross major roads to get from one pasture to another, explains Treiber. They are therefore usually out and about in the early morning and at weekends - the only evidence of their route later on is the sheep's droppings on the road.
Other municipalities such as Augsburg and Ulm in Germany also rely on sheep, according to the German Association for Landscape Management. "Grazing sheep is not only the cheapest way to keep an area open, many plants and animals also benefit from the ecological side effects: Sheep transport seeds and small creatures from one place to the next, and their footfall creates open patches of ground where light-germinating plants can thrive," explains spokesman Leonhard Stobernack.
Nature conservation efforts in Nuremberg extend beyond city center parades, as shepherds like Thomas Gackstatter also graze their animals in nature reserves and inaccessible areas like steep landfill slopes. This practice is beneficial for various animal species, contributing to biodiversity by creating unique habitats.
Source: www.dpa.com
