Neuseenland: Transformation of former lignite mining area

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

Leipzig

Region

Europe

Native title of the NBS intervention

Neuseenland Leipzig

Short description of the intervention

Since the decay of the former DDR, the lignite industry had a major downturn. Most of the mines were closed and its remaining craters re-naturalized and flooded with ground- or rainwater to be revived as recreational lakes. In the Leipzig area of "Neuseenland" up to 23 artificial lakes were created since the nineties by the respective mining company "Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH" which has the obligation to securely and sustainably redevelop the area into forestry, agricultural, natural or recreational areas and reintegrate it into the adjacent landscape. The lakes have become important recreational areas for citizens (4, 8).

Address

Leipzig
Germany

Location

The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Previous derelict area

Website of the intervention

http://www.leipzigseen.de/die-seen.html

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

unknown

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

1994

End date of the intervention

ongoing

Present stage of the intervention

Ongoing

2. Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

1. Creating recreational areas for the citizens of Leipzig (2);
2. Rehabilitation and recovery of former lignite mining areas (1, 2);
3. Redevelopment of brownfields into safe spaces for reuse (5, 16);
4. Reestablishing a self-regulating water balance in the industrially used areas (5);
5. Reestablishment of former use as agricultural, forestry and nature areas on areas compromised by decades of lignite mining (5);
6. Create areas for flood protection (2).

Quantitative targets

Transformation of 7 former open cast mine areas to secure, environmentally friendly secondary use (4).

Monitoring indicators defined

- pH value of the water, groundwater level (3, 4, 6);
- quality elements of the lakes: phytoplankton, diversity of phytoplankton, macrophytes and microphytobenthos (15).

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Water management (SDG 6)

Flood protection

Improvements to water quality

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Habitat and biodiversity restoration

Green space creation and/or management

Regeneration, land-use and urban development

Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Creation of opportunities for recreation

What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?

Ecosystem-focused

What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?

Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems

Implementation activities

The remediation process of the area, led by the former mining company in progress.
- Demolition of the former installations are mostly finished
- Industrial areas cleaned up, remaining craters were prepared for the flooding by flattening and securing the slopes which would otherwise break free. Since it would take over 100 years for the craters to fill up naturally with ground water, the company filled them with both ground water and artificially which also makes them safe for swimming.
- Spoil heaps were flattened and regreened next to the creation of nature conservation areas where flora and fauna can redevelop. It is expected that until 2060 all crates will be filled and connected with shipping channels and hydraulic connections.
Next to water retention, the lakes serve as important water sports and recreational areas for the citizens of Leipzig and have attracted a number of businesses such as restaurants, yacht clubs or water sports companies (1, 2, 3, 9).

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

Transformation of previously derelict areas

Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Parks and urban forests

Large urban parks or forests

Blue infrastructure

Lakes/ponds

Vegetation Type

Grass

Shrubs

Trees

Please specify how many trees were planted

Unknown

Amenities offered by the NBS

Sports areas and equipment

Swimming areas

Cultural (museum, concert areas)

Complementing infrastructure (bathrooms, café)

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Habitat and supporting services

Habitats for species

Maintenance of genetic diversity

Cultural services

Tourism

Aesthetic appreciation

Recreation

Scale

Spatial scale

Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level

Beneficiaries

Primary Beneficiaries

Local government/Municipality

Private sector/Corporate/Company

Citizens or community groups

Please specify other local relevant strategy

Tourist water association Leipziger Neuseenland; Green Ring Leipzig; Area development plan (2, 13)

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Non-government actors

Private sector/Corporate/Business

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

The LMBV (Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft) mining company has legal responsibility based on the Federal Mining Act establish conditions for secure future use of the formerly industrially used areas (3, 5). For the recultivation of the brownfield areas in Lausitz and Middle Germany it collaborated closely with nature conservation institutions and scientific institutions. In addition, also other parties are involved in the subsequent use of the lakes, such as recreational businesses, the regional tourism association and the local government via its city department for Urban Green and Wate (3). Furthermore, regional and national bodies are involved for funding the interventions (4). In order to enable regular coordination and networking of these actors, the control group Leipziger Neuseenland was established in 2006, in which the decision-makers from municipalities, districts, authorities, the renovation company and other institutions work together on an equal footing (17)

Key actors - initiating organization

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Land owners

Private sector or company

Public space owned by the city

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

National government

Regional government

Local government/municipality

Non-government organisation/civil society

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Researchers/university

Land owners

Private sector or company

Public space owned by the city

Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used

Dissemination of information and education

Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy

Yes

Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy"

The Water Framework Directive and the Federal Water Act are stated to influence the procedures of flooding of the lakes and their maintenance (7). The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) demands a good ecological status or ecological potential for natural and artificial lakes larger than 50 ha until 2015 or 2027, respectively. More than 100 artificial mining lakes originate from lignite mining activities in Germany and in total, 36 of the largest existing mining lakes in Germany were assessed and description of the limnological lake characteristics were elaborated (15).

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"

The mining company has legal responsibility based on the Federal Mining Act to secure the spaces used for mining for the public and geotechnically, redevelop brownfield, equipment and installations not in use anymore, remediate the site, reestablish a self-regulating water balance, re-cultivate the areas used and provide the requirements for secondary use of the area as mandated by regional plans (5).

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Mandatory (based on policy)

Intervention is mandatory

Environmental regulation

Enablers

Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project

Yes

Please specify

The "Charta Leipziger Neuseenland 2030" represents a future-oriented strategy and guideline for sustainable development of the whole water bodies around Leipzig and the the new lake area. This document was formulated based on citizen consultation and central propositions (13). The Leipziger Neuseenland 2030 Charter is an instrument for understanding the future and shaping of the Leipziger Neuseenland. With its theses, it provides a qualified framework for action in order to classify, adjust and justify individual projects and plans in terms of content, without evaluating or weighing them up. It is an instrument for optimizing processes and for profiling regional developments (18)

Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project

Yes

Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section

A guideline plan for creating an integrated water network ("Touristischer Gewässerverbund Leipziger Neuseenland") was issued by the city of Leipzig and the "Green Ring Leipzig" in 2008 which suggests feasible routes to connect the new lakes of the former lignite mining with Leipzig's city water channels. This project is currently being implemented in a step-wise manner; an 11 km connection between the city of Leipzig and one of the lakes already exists and further connections will follow (2, 13)

If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.

Water regulation strategy

Urban redevelopment plan

Other

Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project

Yes

Please specify

For lignite opencast mines and lignite refining plants that could not be privatized after reunification, the federal government and the lignite states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia have taken on the task of rehabilitating the area claimed by mining in accordance with the provisions of mining law on the basis of an administrative agreement and to be reused. It is an area of originally around 120,000 hectares, of which around two thirds have already been transferred to new owners after the renovation (17).

For lignite opencast mines and lignite refining plants that could not be privatized after reunification, the federal government and the lignite states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia have taken on the task of rehabilitating the area claimed by mining in accordance with the provisions of mining law on the basis of an administrative agreement and to be reused. It is an area of originally around 120,000 hectares, of which around two thirds have already been transferred to new owners after the renovation.

For lignite opencast mines and lignite refining plants that could not be privatized after reunification, the federal government and the lignite states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia have taken on the task of rehabilitating the area claimed by mining in accordance with the provisions of mining law on the basis of an administrative agreement and to be reused. It is an area of originally around 120,000 hectares, of which around two thirds have already been transferred to new owners after the renovation.

For lignite opencast mines and lignite refining plants that could not be privatized after reunification, the federal government and the lignite states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia have taken on the task of rehabilitating the area claimed by mining in accordance with the provisions of mining law on the basis of an administrative agreement and to be reused. It is an area of originally around 120,000 hectares, of which around two thirds have already been transferred to new owners after the renovation.

The Green Ring Leipzig, a working group consisting of 20 cities and municipalities to improve the image of the city of Leipzig and its surrounding areas was actively involved in the development of the guiding plan for tourist use of the water bodies (12).

Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project

Yes

Please specify

From 2013 – 2017, the mining company received 1.23 Billion Euros subsidies from the national government and the regional governments Brandenburg, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen. A similar amount of subsidies was assigned from 2018 - 2022 (Ref. 14)

Co-finance for NBS

Yes

Co-financing governance arrangements

Unknown

Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?

Unknown

Financing

Total cost

More than €4,000,000

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

Unknown

What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?

Unknown

What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?

Unknown

Please specify cost savings

Unknown

Please specify total cost (EUR)

Including 2016, about 10,424 million EUR were invested in the lignite mining regeneration in the Germany, however, there is no information on the exact costs of the Leipziger Neuseeland rehabilitation project. The financing and its mechanisms are laid down in an official „Verwaltungsabkommens über die Finanzierung ökologischer Altlasten“. From 2013 – 2017, the mining company received 1.23 billion Euros subsidies from the national government and the regional governments Brandenburg, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen. A similar amount of subsidies was assigned from 2018 - 2022 (14)

Source(s) of funding

Public national budget

Public regional budget

Corporate investment

Type of fund(s) used

Earmarked public budget

Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Business models

Risk reduction model

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Public actor (e.g. municipality)

Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)

5. Innovation

Type of innovation

Technological

Infrastructural innovation

Please specify technological innovation

It can be considered an infrastructural innovation because the development of the lakes created a whole new touristic and recreational infrastructure, especially in combination with the implementation of an integrated water network stretching from Leipzig to the lake area (Ref. 12 and 13)

Novelty level of the innovation

The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) with substantial adaptation

Please specify novelty level of the innovation

In several parts of Germany, lakes were created from former lignite mining areas (Ref. 13, 14 and 15)

Replicability/Transferability

Unknown

Please specify Replicability/Transferability

Unknown

6. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Water management and blue areas

Improved water quality

Green space and habitat

Increased number of protection areas

Increase in protected green space areas

Reduced biodiversity loss

Increased number of species present

Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Restoration of derelict areas

Description of environmental benefits

- The Werbeliner See, one of the largest and most diverse bodies of water in the Leipziger Neuseenland, is both a nature reserve and a European bird sanctuary (17).
- It is stated that nature has reclaimed wide areas of the intervention, especially endangered or protected species are reported to populate these areas. Wetlands, water bodies, dry areas and steep drops that cannot be found in human-dominated areas accommodate birds, amphibians, grasshoppers and dragonflies, among others (11).
- Through the installation of a 70 km long pipe, water pumped from still active surface mining is pumped into the lakes which improves the water quality. Also several lakes are connected with artificial channels and sluice so that a 200 km long blue ribbon / water network was established (11)

Economic impacts

Unknown

Description of economic benefits

Unknown

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Indicators

Unknown

Environmental, social and economic impacts

Environmental quality

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Analysis of specific impact categories

Job creation: The NBS created ...

No information available

Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?

No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project

COVID-19 pandemic

Unknown as of October 2020

Methods of impact monitoring

Process of recording NBS impacts

Collection of monitoring data continuously throughout the project to aid evaluation

Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS

Measurements of biophysical aspects of the NBS (e.g. temperature, water flow)

Observation (including virtual surveillance methods)

Where can this data be accessed? Please include a link to a report or web-page.

https://leipziger-neuseenland.org/publikationen

Evidence for use of assessment

Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports

Yes

Link to monitoring/evaluation reports

https://leipziger-neuseenland.org/publikationen

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Impact assessment mechanism

Name of any specific impact assessment tools

Ecological assessment of the lakes on former lignite mining areas performed by the Ministry for the Environment. The ecological quality of the lakes was assessed based on the following four criteria: phytoplankton, diversity of phytoplankton, macrophytes and microphytobenthos.
53 percent of the lakes in this study reach the good or better ecological potential. As of 2017, three lakes fail this state because environmental quality standards for river basin-specific chemical pollutants are not complied. Only one lake shows too high trophic conditions (15)

Link to the output of assessments

https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/376/publikationen/tex…

Use of GIS in mapping impacts

Yes

Citizen involvement

Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation

Unknown

Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation

Unknown

Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment

Unknown

7. Sources

References

Web links relevant to the intervention

Website about the lakes (Neuseeland)

Mining company's website of the lakes

Documents relevant to the intervention

Attachment	Size
Information brochure (4.78 MB)	4.78 MB
Concept for the development of a water corridor between Leipzig and the lakes (2.32 MB)	2.32 MB

List of references

1. Ferien- und Freizeitpark ‘Vorwerk Auenhain’ GmbH. (2017). Das Leipziger Neuseenland. Accessed on October 14, 2020, http://www.seepark-auenhain.de/neuseenland.html
2. Georg Westermann Verwaltungs GmbH. (n/a). Heimat und Welt. Leipziger Neuseenland um 2020 (Planung). Available at: http://www.heimatundwelt.de/kartenansicht.xtp?artId=978-3-14-100269-0&stichwort=Espenhain&fs=1
3. Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. (2017). Lausitzer Seenland / Mitteldeutsche
Seenlandschaft. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://www.lmbv.de/index.php/seenland-neuseenland.html
4. Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. (2017). Ökologie und forstliche Rekultivierung. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://www.lmbv.de/index.php/oekologie-rekultivierung.html
5. Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. (2017). Bergbauliche Grundsanierung. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://www.lmbv.de/index.php/grundsanierung.html
6. Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. (2017). Flutungsmanagement der Bergbaufolgeseen. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://www.lmbv.de/index.php/Flutungsmanagement.html
7. Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. (2017). Flutungsstand. Bergbaufolgeseen. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://www.lmbv.de/index.php/Flutungsstand.html
8. leipzigseen.de. (n/a). Das Leipziger Neuseenland. Vom Tagebauwerk zu einem Naherholungsgebiet. Accessed on October 14, 2020, http://www.leipzigseen.de/die-seen.html
9. Müller, V. (2014). ‘Baden in der Braunkohlegrube’, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 7 July. Accessed on October 14, 2020, http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/renaturierung-baden-in-der-braunkohlegrube-1.2004029
10. Tappert, A. (2016). ‘IHK schlägt Alarm: Leipzigs Neuseenland steht auf der Kippe’, Leipziger Volkszeitung, 5 April. Accessed on October 14, 2020, http://www.lvz.de/Leipzig/Lokales/IHK-schlaegt-Alarm-Leipzigs-Neuseenland-steht-auf-der-Kippe
11. Tourismusverband ‘Sächsisches Burgen- und Heideland’ e.V. (n/a). Leipziger Neuseenland. Land in Bewegung. Leipzig. Accessed on October 14, 2020, http://www.ferienwohnung-neuseenland.de/bilder/umgebung/Broschure_Neuseenland.pdf
12. Grüner Ring Leipzig and Stadt Leipzig. (2008). Touristischer Gewässerverbund Leipziger Neuseenland. Auf acht Kursen die Gewässer der Region entdecken. Leipzig. Accessed on October 14, 2020, http://www.bgmr.de/downloads/Touristischer Gewaesserverbund Leipziger Neuseenland.pdf
13. Stadt Leipzig. (2017). Unterwegs in der Wasserstadt Leipzig und im Leipziger Neuseenland. Accessed on October 14, 2020, http://www.leipzig.de/freizeit-kultur-und-tourismus/seen-fluesse-und-gewaesser/leipziger-neuseenland/
14. Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. (2017). Finanzierung. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://www.lmbv.de/index.php/Finanzierung.html
15. Nixdorf, B. and Ramm, J. (2016). Übersicht zur ökologischen Situation ausgewählter Tagebauseen des Braunkohlebergbaus in Deutschland. Cottbus-Senftenberg. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/376/publikationen/texte_68_2016_uebersicht_zur_oekologischen_situation_ausgewaehlter_tagebauseen.pdf
16. Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. (2010). Zwei Jahrzehnte Braunkohlesanierung. Eine Zwischenbilanz. Senftenberg. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://www.lmbv.de/files/LMBV/Publikationen/Publikationen Zentrale/Publikationen Diverse/LMBV_Buch_Zwischenbilanz.pdf
17. Leipziger Neuseenland. (n/a). FAQ. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://leipziger-neuseenland.org/faq
18. Leipziger Neuseenland. (n/a). Publikationen. Accessed on October 14, 2020, https://leipziger-neuseenland.org/publikationen

Comments and notes

Public Images

Source: https://www.leipzigseen.de/die-seen/goitzsche-see

Source: https://www.leipzigseen.de/die-seen/cospudener-see/die-entstehung-des-cospudener-sees

Source: https://www.leipzigseen.de/die-seen/cospudener-see