East-West border death zone now Germany's biodiversity oasis
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PoliticsGermanyEast-West border death zone now Germany's biodiversity oasis
Jens Thurau07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Many endangered species now live in the area that once formed the border between East and West Germany. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider recently visited the "Green Belt," and DW went along for the ride.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GvmT
The former inner-German border is a magnet for flora and fauna, some of which are endangered speciesImage: MDR
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At one point, the tour bus carrying representatives of the German Environment Ministry and journalists from the city of Rostock in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to Salzwedel in Saxony-Anhalt traveled through an almost uninhabited area.
This is where the border between the Federal Republic of Germany (or FRG, more commonly known as West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (or GDR, more commonly known as East Germany) used to be. It was effectively the border between two global power blocs: the west with NATO, and the east with the Warsaw Pact. Until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, that is.
German conservationists guard Iron Curtain legacy
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A former dividing line 
Andreas Heil from Germany's Environment Ministry is responsible for the "Green Belt," a unique nature reserve in an area once used to prevent East German citizens from fleeing to the West. It is almost 1,400 kilometers (approxinmately 870 miles) long and between 50 (164 feet) and 200 meters wide.  
"It was a death strip that was insurmountable and served as a dividing line," Heil explained on the bus. "Today, it is exactly the opposite: something that brings people together."
Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, who is from Erfurt in the state of Thuringia, which used to be part of the GDR, explained how important the former military border strip was for nature today. "Because the military road was closed off and no one was allowed in here — at least not me, as an ordinary GDR citizen — species that aren't found anywhere else, were able to establish themselves in this area, even after reunification."
Hundreds of endangered species 
According to his ministry, about 7,500 species of insects and spiders have been registered in the "Green Belt," 580 of which are endangered or threatened. Otters, European wildcats, whinchats and lapwings, which are at risk of extinction, also inhabit the area, 88% of which is now under protection to ensure these species survive.
Moors, which are almost nonexistent in Germany, have also survived in the region. Thanks to a boardwalk, visitors can now explore a large peat bog that covers 400 hectares (1.5 square miles) near Salzwedel.
"Many areas were drained before the fall of the Wall, in the 19th and 20th century. They were completely converted for agricultural use, " explained Nathalie Niederdrenk who also works at the Environment Ministry.
All over the "Green Belt," where there are now cycle paths, there are signs that point out where the former border was or panels with information regarding the fauna and flora.German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider took a cycle ride through the former border zone Image: Jens Thurau/DW
Against encroachment by agriculture
There are other former border areas in Europe that have been turned into nature reserves, such as those between Finland, Norway and Russia. Germany's "Green Belt" also continues along the borders between the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria, as well as Croatia and Hungary.
Olaf Bandes, the head of the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation, or BUND, explained to the visitors in Salzwedel that the organization, which has some 520,000 members in Germany and is financed by donations and state subsidies, had a special relationship with the area. "This is where we began purchasing the first plots along the 'Green Belt' in 2000, using BUND donations and funding from the Environment Ministry. It has become our largest project, covering 1,000 hectares." he said.
BUND has warned that it is important to protect the area from encroachment by industries that could be detrimental to it. Bandes said that six years ago, the Bavarian faction of BUND complained that the road along the "Green Belt" was "dominated" by agriculture, which meant that "animals and plants are repeatedly cut off from their path, or pedestrians and cyclists suddenly find themselves in the middle of a cornfield."Some watchtowers remain on the site as part of an open-air museum Image: MDR
In early July, the states of Thuringia, Bavaria and Saxony decided to permanentlypreserve a roughly 95-kilometer-long section of the "Green Belt" by 2028, with the help of a special million-euro management plan, 75% of which will be covered by the German Environment Ministry.
Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder said it was an important environmental project, especially in the face of drastic climate change.
This article was translated from German.
Jens Thurau Jens Thurau is a senior political correspondent covering Germany's environment and climate policies.
@JensThurau
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