Protecting lizards- Climate protection is species protection

Not far from the border with France lies the municipality of Rehlingen-Siersburg - scenically located on the Nied, one of the cleanest flowing waters in Germany. In the immediate vicinity is the village of Itzbach. The Itzbach valley opens up a natural area with great ecological potential. To awaken this, to promote it and to develop it richly in scenic beauty as well as in the diversity of species in flora and fauna is the task of a special, and a qualified nature conservation project, which has begun under the title "ecological upgrading of the Itzbach valley" of the “Karsten Nendel“ (Nature) Foundation in the summer of the year 2020. Your task is to improve the basic conditions for a lizard habitat in such a way that the population of the animals can stabilize and even increase. To do this, you will clear the area of bushes and other low vegetation. Lizards like sun-drenched open landscapes rather than cool, damp undergrowth. In addition, dry stone walls made of sandstone rubble stones are to be built in a sand bed in several places in the area, each at a distance of about 10 to 20 m, under expert guidance. Such dry-stone walls are popular refuges of lizards; they find shelter in the joints and on the front surfaces of the stone walls they enjoy the sun, recharge heat and store energy. In addition to the dry-stone walls, layers of sandstone boulders of various sizes provide an ideal habitat for lizards. It is planned to build two such 'lizard castles'. In order to meet the well-being and living needs of lizards in a variety of ways, a 'lizard castle' can also be created by a suitable stacking of deadwood material. Expert guidance is of course provided. The creation of (frost-) safe winter quarters completes the ensemble of species-appropriate structures of a developmental habitat for lizards. In addition, you will create smaller shallow water zones/shallow water ponds in a size of in the neighbouring floodplain of the Itzbach.