Biotope network of aquatic habitats – uncoordinated technical basis – Hamburg

As part of the technical investigations on the biotope network in Hamburg, a separate biotope network representation for the aquatic habitats was developed in 2012. For the aquatic habitats, the core and connecting areas, cross-border points of contact as well as the connecting spaces are shown here. The rivers and their floodplains are important natural connecting lines in the city and, like the still waters, offer valuable habitats for rare animal and plant species. Core and connecting surfaces: Core areas are the habitats that are valuable in terms of nature conservation with their often rare plant and animal species, which primarily serve to protect the existing populations of site-typical species, habitats and habitat communities. The core areas are also responsible for the recolonization processes of other areas. In order to connect the core surfaces with each other, suitable connecting surfaces and elements are identified between them. In the evaluations for a biotope network representation of the aquatic habitats, the two categories were considered and presented in summary. Cross-border links: Nature does not stop at borders. The biotope network therefore usually more or less clearly crosses national borders. The most important points of transition to the neighbouring federal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony are represented with point symbols. Connecting rooms: The interconnection spaces are areas that have certain interconnection relationships beyond the core and interconnection surfaces. However, these are so loose that these areas cannot be classified as biotope composite areas in the narrower sense.