In May 2019, on Dietrich's 80th birthday, we came up with a plan to give something back to nature—the idea, as we wrote in the birthday invitation, "to transform a small piece of farmland in the middle of the agricultural steppe of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern into a sustainable, ecological island—and you can all get involved."
In late summer, we purchased a 3-acre plot on the outskirts of the Feldhusen settlement in northwestern Mecklenburg, about 1.5 miles from the eastern coast of Lübecker Bucht. The narrow western side of the field borders the Buchenweg cul-de-sac. In the upper section stands an oak tree, over 400 years old and listed as a historic landmark, surrounded by overgrown shrubs and trees. Toward the east, the field slopes gently down to the Harkenbäk creek. Most of the field was formerly cultivated farmland—exactly what we had imagined!
With the pandemic came travel and contact restrictions; we were unable to get started as planned, build relationships, and seek partners to bring the project to life. We finally succeeded in the spring of 2023: We managed to secure the Flächenagentur M-V GmbH in Güstrow, an agency for land management, to finance our project →
The agency is a subsidiary of the NABU Foundation for the Environment and Nature Conservation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. They are responsible for the implementation, management, and oversight of compensation areas that must be established to offset the soil sealing caused by commercial land development. Using "ecopoints"—a unit of measurement certified by the Lower Nature Conservation Authority (UNB)—those responsible for soil sealing finance the projects. With our project, however, the agency has now implemented a model project for voluntary compensation →
To create a species-rich ecosystem on the property, the agency has converted a large portion of the former arable land into extensive permanent grassland with long-term management. Thirteen standard trees were planted, along with a 60-feet-long field hedge with a herbaceous border. The wooded area in the upper section was re- stored to a near-natural state. Within it a small pond was created →
With all these measures, the project will contribute to the conservation and promotion of biodiversity. Trees, shrubs, and hedges will also help reduce CO2 emissions.
Upon completion of the work in the summer of 2025, the UNB certified the project and established an ecopoints account. The ecopoints allocated to the site can now be purchased, certified by the agency, at a price of € 21.50 per sqare meter (about 11 sqft), see the agency's website. The agency uses the proceeds to finance the funds advanced for the development of the property and for its long-term maintenance. After its permanent rezoning was entered in the land registry, we leased the property to the agency on a long-term basis at no cost.
By purchasing certificates, you become a sponsor of the Nature Island. On an online map "tiles" corresponding to the area covered by the purchased certificates symbolize the sponsorships—with names included upon request. As soon as sponsorships are secured for the entire area, thereby covering the funds invested in development and maintenance, the eco-points account is depleted. The birthday guests have already taken on the sponsorship for the first one thousand plus sqare feet ...
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