NSG Kranzbach und Kranzbruchvenn

Summary

Kranzbach and Kranzbruchvenn Nature Reserve protects natural habitats like transitional and raised bogs, wetlands, and a stream valley. It's home to beavers, greater mouse-eared bats, kingfishers, whinchats, and rare plants such as marsh gentian and bog asphodel.

Description

The Kranzbach and Kranzbruchvenn Nature Reserve preserves a valuable stream valley and its surrounding landscapes on the western edge of Simmerath. It protects and develops rare habitats, including transitional and quaking bogs, as well as degraded raised bogs that are being restored here. The diverse wetlands, fens, bog remnants, and wet grasslands provide crucial living spaces for a rich variety of flora and fauna. Protected species such as the beaver, the greater mouse-eared bat, and the pond bat thrive here. The colourful kingfisher and the rare whinchat also find suitable conditions within the reserve. Special attention is given to endangered plants like the marsh gentian and bog asphodel, which are found in the wetlands. This area forms a vital part of a larger biotope network extending to the Venn upland, hosting numerous rare and endangered biotope types, including swamps, reeds, nardus grasslands, and bog forests.