As part of the LIFE project BOVAR, ABU e.V. was able to implement the first measures to optimise the habitat for the Yellow-bellied Toad in the three project areas in the Soest district in the winter half-year 2018/19.

In the Pöppelsche Tal the overgrown lime grassland was cleared from shrubs and bushes / Photo: C. Härting

In the area Manninghofer Bach as well as Gieseler and Muckenbruch (NRW 5) an area was mulched; here, too, new small ponds will be built in the near future.

A mulching robot was used in the Muckenbruch / Photo: C. Härting

In the Büecke and Hiddingser Schledde project area (NRW 6), very small watercourses were created with the help of traffic lanes through heavily loaded tractors. The soil is compacted over a small area. The indentations can fill with water after a rain shower and offer the toads an optimal habitat.

Tractors were used to travel in compacted lanes, which later became an optimal habitat for the yellow-bellied toad / Photo: C. Härting