1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Wuppertal
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Streuobstwiesen erhalten und erneuern in Wuppertal
Short description of the intervention
Meadow orchards with fruit trees were an integral part of subsistence farming and form part of the cultural heritage of Wuppertal. To preserve and further develop these meadows as an important habitat for flora and fauna and promote their potential for sustainable consumption, 4 such meadows were sponsored, maintained and promoted by the city of Wuppertal in close collaboration with the working group for fruit meadows via events, communal harvesting activities and hands-on courses since 1999. Since 2015, these meadows have increasingly drawn the attention of "foodsharing" movements and during the nationwide research year "future town". (Ref. 1, 2, 6, 8). Enclosed between areas of intensive conventional agriculture and the federal motorway, the orchards as islands of biological diversity are important places of retreat and relaxation. (Ref. 5) Communal activities are also offered, such as the co-creation of “edible experience spaces”, joint harvesting and providing a base for additional social projects (Ref. 6).
Address

Wuppertal
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
Other
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
Meadow (Ref. 2); Enclosed between areas of intensive conventional agriculture and the federal motorway (Ref 5)
Website of the intervention
http://www.bsmw.de/projekte/obstwiesenschutz/
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
1998
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
Protection of the habitat “fruit meadow” which provides a habitat for diverse flora and fauna (biotope network) and creating public awareness of the importance of the latter in the local ecosystems (Ref. 2)
Preservation of important cultural heritage in the region based on continuous maintenance of historical forms of use of fruit meadows and its adjacent habitats, the development of functional use structures and knowledge transfer of best practices (Ref. 2 and 5)
Sustainable consumption: encouraging harvesting and processing of fruits in order to prevent them from going to waste (since nobody harvests them on public spaces) (Ref. 2)
Raising awareness about the “Fruit Meadow” habitat and to motivate people to preserve these traditional orchards which have mostly been lost to industrialization. (Ref. 13)
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
Unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity conservation
Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Preservation of natural heritage
Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
Preservation of historic traditions
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable production
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Species-focused
Ecosystem-focused
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Protect and enhance urban habitats
Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
Protect species
Undertake specific measures to protect species
Undertake specific measures to protect native species
Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
Means for conservation governance
Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
Raise public awareness
Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation
Protect and apply traditional knowledge and conservation practices
Please specify "other Type of NBS project"
Protection of traditional meadow orchards (Ref. 13)
Implementation activities
To foster and maintain meadow orchards, the working group fruit meadows “Bergisches Städtedreieck” (consisting both of volunteers and several fixed employees – see also governance part) has implemented a cross-municipal information and events network for interested citizens of Solingen, Remscheid and Wuppertal. In collaboration with the city of Wuppertal, which took over sponsorship for four such meadows at the end of the nineties and has ever since maintained them, the following services are offered: public relations (excursions during bloom, setting up collection points for fruits), provision of information (species lists, literature references, plant supply, professional advice for planting, courses for cutting the trees, organizing question times, a regular’s table), connecting meadow owners with consumers and sales of the produce (income generated is reinvested into the project) (Ref. 1, 2, 3 and 4). As part of the permanent protection, maintenance and promotion of the still rudimentary orchards, dying fruit trees are compensated for by planting old, regional fruit varieties. As far as possible, the dead trees deliberately remain in the area in order to enrich the variety of small habitats for many species in the area first as standing and then as lying dead wood. For pollination, bee colonies are used by members of the association on both surfaces. In addition, bumblebees and wild bees are actively promoted through numerous nesting aids. Outside the grazed areas, numerous insect nutrient plants are specifically promoted, not only to serve as a source of food during the vegetation period, but also to be available in winter as a hibernation space for the different development stages of the individual insect species. The targeted promotion of insect nutrient plants requires a rich invertebrate fauna. From different species of ants and ground beetles to moths, the orchards offer a rich variety of rare and commonplace species in the smallest of spaces. (Ref. 5)
Type of NBS project
Maintenance and management of urban nature
Protection of natural ecosystems
Transformation of previously derelict areas
Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Community gardens
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Other
Please specify "other allotments and community gardens"
bee colonies (Ref 5)
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
unknown
Vegetation Type
Grass
Trees
Other
Please specify how many trees were planted
unspecified; ' planting local plant and vegetable species and new trees (Ref. 1, 2, 3).'
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
public relations (excursions during bloom, setting up collection points for fruits), provision of information (species lists, literature references, plant supply, professional advice for planting, courses for cutting the trees, organizing question times, a regular’s table), connecting meadow owners with consumers and sales of the produce (income generated is reinvested into the project) (Ref. 1, 2, 3 and 4).
Amenities offered by the NBS
Educational and research amenities (nature protection centre, monitoring stations)
Other
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Raw materials
Regulating services
Pollination
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Recreation
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals
Social and community interactions
Scale
Spatial scale
Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Other
Please specify "other primary beneficiary"
bumblebees and wild bees; insects; different species of ants and ground beetles to moths (Ref 5)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The working group “Obstwiesen Bergisches Städtedreieck” consists of several actors, such as the nature conservation association RBN, the Wuppertal representation of the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany (NABU), the landscape authority of Remscheid, Solingen and Wuppertal, the biological station “Mittlere Wupper”, the fruit juice producer Weber and fruit meadow practitioners of the region. It collaborates with the city of Wuppertal which sponsors four of the meadows, to maintain the meadows, organize events and promote the support of citizens with this issue (Ref. 1 and 2). More recently, the Germany-wide initiative “Mundraub”, the local “foodsharing” movement and the Wuppertal Institute got involved by organizing a so-called harvest camp which consisted of helping a local farmer harvest the apples from his land in order to protect the grazing horses (for which they are harmful) which were then distributed to helpers and local residents (Ref. 6 and 10).
The initiative Mundraub collaborated with the Wuppertal Institute for scientific documentation and assessment of their activities and the potential of fruit tree harvesting as new self-sufficient food supply systems in urban areas (Ref. 6 and 7).
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Non-government organisation/civil society
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Researchers/university
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Land owners
No information found
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Taskforce groups
Dissemination of information and education
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Co-management/Joint management
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Yes
Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy"
There is a biodiversity strategy of the European Commission whose objective is to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU and help stop global biodiversity loss by 2020. It reflects the commitments taken by the EU in 2010, within the international Convention on Biological Diversity (Ref. 13)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
Germany's National Strategy for Biodiversity was implemented in 2007. Its aims is to mobilize and connect all societal forces to reduce, alleviate and finally eliminate dangers for biological diversity in Germany so that in the future, biodiversity along with its regionally special features can thrive again. To support this strategy a project coordinated by the NABU NRW concerning the maintenance of genetic resources in the orcharding in NRW was carried out from 2012 to 2015 with national and EU funds (Ref. 11 and 12).
In addition, the science year focussing on the future city organized by the National Ministry for Research and Education in 2015 dedicated a special thematic focus on "city harvest" and encouraging citizens to harvest vegetables and fruits on open spaces in their region (Ref. 8).
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
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
Unknown
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
In addition to the working group active across the municipalities of Solingen, Remscheid and Wuppertal which can be considered a network since it is constituted of so many different parties covering the private, public and civil society sector, there is also the wider network of the biological stations of NRW, which represents the interests of 40 biological stations in politics, economy and administration and is a contact for the public (Ref. 9)
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
Biodiversity strategy or plan
Please specify other vegetation type
bee colonies (Ref 5)
bumblebees and wild bees are actively promoted through numerous nesting aids; insect nutrient plants; meadow orchards; old, regional fruit varieties; dead trees (Ref 5)
“fruit meadow” (Ref 2)
“edible experience spaces” (Ref. 6).
Meadow orchards with fruit trees (Ref 1,2,6,8)
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
In addition to the working group active across the municipalities of Solingen, Remscheid and Wuppertal which can be considered a network since it is constituted of so many different parties covering the private, public and civil society sector, there is also the wider network of the biological stations of NRW, which represents the interests of 40 biological stations in politics, economy and administration and is a contact for the public (Ref. 9)
Also, the nation-wide initiative "Mundraub" should be mentioned here. Their objective is attracting public attention to forgotten indigenous fruits as part of their strategy to preserve cultural landscapes and their habitats. To prevent this forgotten valuable fruit supply to fall to waste, they created an online map and platform on mundraub.org which registers accessible fruit trees, bushes, nuts and herbs on public spaces; 25,000 users share and exchange locations on this platform, also communes and businesses are participating (Ref. 6).
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The initiative Mundraub collaborated with the Wuppertal Institute for scientific documentation and assessment of their activities and the potential of fruit tree harvesting as new self-sufficient food supply systems in urban areas (Ref. 6 and 7).
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The city of Wuppertal has taken over sponsorhip and maintenance costs for four such meadow orchards since the late 1990s and is also the organizer of several of the workshops, courses and other services provided in collaboration with the working group (Ref. 1 and 2).
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
Unknown
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)
unknown
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Donations
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Business models
Urban offsetting model (biodiversity or water)
Green heritage model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)
Type of innovation
Social
Cultural innovation
Please specify social innovation
These harvesting initiatives on the meadow orchards have the potential to change urban food supply systems along with the lifestyles of urban residents in the long run and could therefore contribute to an urban sustainability transformation. They increase the esteem for resources-friendly, environmentally sound, local food production which can, as a feedback mechanism induce higher demand for those products even in supermarkets.That way although still on a small scale, this intervention can be considered a cultural innovation (Ref. 6 and 7).
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) without substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
The project itself is not novel, there are several such initiatives scattered over Germany, as evidenced by a similar project awarded by the UN Decade for Biodiversity (Ref. 5), or the initiative Mundraub that operates all over Germany (Ref. 6 and 10).
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Reduced biodiversity loss
Increased number of species present
Enhanced support of pollination
Increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed
Description of environmental benefits
Green spaces / biodiversity: fruit trees in bloom provide important habitats for insects, birds and bats. Bees and ladybirds use the flowers as a nectar source while bats and birds live in the holes of the trees. Similar projects report that biodiversity increased (Ref. 1, 5, 6). In the two orchards "Köttingen" and "Im neue Kamp", which have been looked after since 1998, islands of biological diversity have developed here over the years. (Ref 5) Due to the mosaic-like structural diversity of habitats and the ongoing maintenance of the historical forms of use of the orchards and their adjacent habitats, the maintenance and improvement work not only ensured an overwhelming diversity of flora and fauna on the areas in the long term, but also continues to increase the diversity of species. The established habitats in the orchards, which include several piles of dead wood and stone piles offer shelter and a source of food to numerous common toads, forest lizards, grass snakes and slow worms who use these structures for shelter and for sunbathing. (Ref. 5)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Please specify other socio-cultural impact
Support of sustainable consumption and production (Ref. 10)
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved social cohesion
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Increased access to healthy/affordable food
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Protection of natural heritage
Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
Education
Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Other
Please specify other environmental justice issue
saving indigenous or native species: the nation-wide initiative "Mundraub" should be mentioned here. Their objective is attracting public attention to forgotten indigenous fruits as part of their strategy to preserve cultural landscapes and their habitats. To prevent this forgotten valuable fruit supply to fall to waste, they created an online map and platform on mundraub.org which registers accessible fruit trees, bushes, nuts and herbs on public spaces; 25,000 users share and exchange locations on this platform, also communes and businesses are participating (Ref. 6).
Description of social and cultural benefits
Social cohesion: the leaders of the project support communal activities such as the co-creation of “edible experience spaces”, joint harvesting and providing a base for additional social projects (Ref. 6). Cultural heritage: the cultural heritage of meadow orchards could be preserved and revived thanks to the efforts of the working group and the city of Wuppertal, along with the active involvement of citizens (Ref. 1, 2, 3 and 4). Sustainable consumption and production: together with motivated citizens, fruits are jointly harvested, shared and taken home for private consumption and further processing (Ref. 10). Relaxation and recreation: Enclosed between areas of intensive conventional agriculture and the federal motorway, the orchards as islands of biological diversity are important places of retreat not only for protected species of the native flora and fauna. (Ref. 5)

public engageent via online platform: the nation-wide initiative "Mundraub" should be mentioned here. Their objective is attracting public attention to forgotten indigenous fruits as part of their strategy to preserve cultural landscapes and their habitats. To prevent this forgotten valuable fruit supply to fall to waste, they created an online map and platform on mundraub.org which registers accessible fruit trees, bushes, nuts and herbs on public spaces; 25,000 users share and exchange locations on this platform, also communes and businesses are participating (Ref. 6).
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Other
Please specify other method used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
public engageent via online platform: the nation-wide initiative "Mundraub" should be mentioned here. Their objective is attracting public attention to forgotten indigenous fruits as part of their strategy to preserve cultural landscapes and their habitats. To prevent this forgotten valuable fruit supply to fall to waste, they created an online map and platform on mundraub.org which registers accessible fruit trees, bushes, nuts and herbs on public spaces; 25,000 users share and exchange locations on this platform, also communes and businesses are participating (Ref. 6).
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown (in September 2020)
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
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)
Other
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
public engagement via online platform: the nation-wide initiative "Mundraub". Their objective is attracting public attention to forgotten indigenous fruits as part of their strategy to preserve cultural landscapes and their habitats. To prevent this forgotten valuable fruit supply to fall to waste, they created an online map and platform on mundraub.org which registers accessible fruit trees, bushes, nuts and herbs on public spaces; 25,000 users share and exchange locations on this platform, also communes and businesses are participating (Ref. 6).
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Yes
Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Online Forum
Submission of monitoring data (citizen observation)
Other
Please specify other modes of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
The Mundraub initiative for instance operates an online forum where users can exchange about locations for harvest and provide feedback about its conditions (Ref. 6 and 10). More specifically for this project, feedback is provided by citizens participating in workshops, courses and as recipients of professional advice (Ref. 1 and 2).
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Major project website
More information on the project
Events programme
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
impression_orchard_meadow.pdf (73.18 KB) 73.18 KB
apple_harvesting_on_orchard_meadow.pdf (1.56 MB) 1.56 MB
List of references
1. Biologische Station Mittlere Wupper. (n.d.). Arbeitskreis Obstwiesen Bergisches Städtedreieck. Streuobstwiesen erhalten und erneuern. Available at: https://www.bsmw.de/unsere-arbeitsfelder/arbeitskreis-obstwiesen-bergisches-staedtedreieck/ [Accessed: 22 Sept. 2020]

2. Stadt Wuppertal. (n.d.). Obstwiesen. Streuobstwiesen in Wuppertal. Available at: https://www.wuppertal.de/rathaus-buergerservice/umweltschutz/natur_landschaft/102370100000199789.php [Acessed: 22 Sept. 2020]

3. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Obstwiesen Bergisches Städtedreieck. (2016). Arbeitsgemeinschaft Obstwiesen Bergisches Städtedreieck. Termine Frühjahr/Sommer 2017. Wuppertal, Germany. [Weblink unavailable in 2020].

4. Biologische Station Mittlere Wupper, & BUND Kreisgruppe Solingen. (2017). Veranstaltungsprogramm. Natur erleben in Remscheid, Solingen und Wuppertal. Wuppertal, Germany. [Weblink unavailable in 2020]

5. UN-Dekade Biologische Vielfalt Geschäftsstelle. (2017). Lebensraum artenreiche Streuobstwiese. Available at: https://www.undekade-biologischevielfalt.de/projekte/aktuelle-projekte-beitraege/detail/projekt-details/show/Wettbewerb/1607/ [Accessed: 22 Sept. 2020].

6. Wuppertal Institut für Klima / Umwelt / Energie gGmbH, & Terra Concordia gUG - Mundraub. (2015). Unser Obst wächst vor der Haustür - Neue Trends im urbanen Raum. Wuppertal. Available at: https://wupperinst.org/uploads/tx_wupperinst/Mundraub_Stadternte_Factsheet.pdf [Accessed: 22 Sept. 2020].

7. Wuppertal Institut für Klima / Umwelt / Energie gGmbH. (2017). Wissenschaftliche Begleitung der Kampagne “Mundraub macht mobil.” Available at: https://wupperinst.org/p/wi/p/s/pd/536/ [Accessed: 22 Sept. 2020].

8. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. (2015). Wissenschaftsjahr 2015 Zukunftsstadt. (Selbst-)Versorgung in Stadt & Land. Available at: https://www.wissenschaftsjahr.de/2015/alle-themen/selbst-versorgung-in-stadt-land.html [Accessed: 22 Sept. 2020].

9. Biologische Station Mittlere Wupper. (n.d.-b). Das Netzwerk der Biologischen Stationen in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Available at: https://www.bsmw.de/ueber-uns/das-netzwerk-der-biologischen-stationen-nrw/ [Accessed: 22 Sept. 2020].

10. Terra Concordia gUG Deutschland. (n.d.). Mundraub. Erntecamp in Wuppertal. Available at: https://mundraub.org/blog/erntecamp-wuppertal [Accessed: 22 Sept. 2020].

11. Bundesminiterium für Umwelt / Naturschutz / Bau und Reaktorsicherheit. (2015). Nationale Strategie zur biologischen Vielfalt. Kabinettsbeschluss vom 7. November 2007. [Weblink unavailable in 2020].

12. NABU Nordrhein-Westfalen. (n.d.). Gesucht: lokale und regionale Obstsorten in NRW. Ein Beitrag zum Erhalt genetischer Ressourcen im Obstbau. Available at: https://nrw.nabu.de/natur-und-landschaft/landnutzung/streuobst/lokale-obstsorten-erhalten/index.html [Accessed: 22 Sept. 2020].
Additional comments
13. European Commission. (2016). Biodiversity Strategy. Retrieved August 9, 2017, from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/strategy/index_en.htm

Comments and notes
Comments
2020 comments:
6/impact assessment: No special impact assessment tool mentioned beyond what is listed, it is assumed that the conditions of the meadows are mainly assessed based on direct observation of the specialized nature organizations involved in the initiative, but no data could be found on that (Ref. 2 and 10).