Aarhus - Green Ring South of Aarhus

The pilot is roughly about 350 ha and consists of 5 separate areas of farmland owned by Aarhus Municipality. The idea is to convert these areas from farmland into natural spaces and form a green circular corridor that connects two Natura 2000 spots with other forests and nature areas, while making new or better recreational paths for the public to use.

The effort provides better recreational access to new areas, protection of drinking water resources, increased biodiversity and CO2 gains to achieve efforts in Aarhus Municipality Climate Plan 2021-2024.

The farmland has been cultivated for many years and holds therefore only a minimum of species in natural habitats. The potential for nature restoration is quite good as the existing nearby nature areas provide sources of colonisation of plant and animal species, and the establishment of novel habitats can be sped up by aided dispersal of plant seeds as well as restoration of small lakes, wetlands and streams.

Interventions

A new forest of about 100 ha is planned to be established south of Vilhelmsborg (planted and established by natural re-growth) while the remaining land is converted from farmland to nature by natural succession or aided dispersal of plant seeds.
Restauration of small lakes and wetlands, streams, forest, species rich dry grass lands etc. help the local populations of the treefrog (Hyla arborea) /crested newt (Triturus cristatus).
New public pathways for recreational use and better public health
Naturalistic year-round grazing with sturdy races of livestock (horses and cattle) will help to speed up the natural processes and maintain the open areas.

Objectives & Expected Impact

The goal of The Green Ring South of Aarhus is to shape the area as a predominantly open landscape, with a mixture of wetlands, extensive dry and wet grasslands, as well as forest and meadows. In this way we maintain and develop valuable habitats for animal and plant life and

offer a diversity of nature experiences for citizens who want to use the landscape in respect for the area's nature and cultural values. The area should be managed and information about the project disseminated in a constructive collaboration between local landowners, local communities, the municipality and other stakeholders.

There is available data from monitoring of nationally protected habitats within the area and some data from forest surveys, supplemented by public accessible databases (Naturbasen, Miljøportalen, INaturalist and more), mostly bird species but also other organisms have been recorded so far.