The map shows where the region is situated in Germany. Havelland is a district or county in Brandenburg, Germany.
Brandenburger, Havelland, Oberhavel, and Ostprignitz-Ruppin
The map shows parts of Brandenburger, Havelland, Oberhavel, and Ostprignitz-Ruppin. The region features diverse landscapes, including fertile plains, lakes, wetlands, and forests. The marginal land is defined as drained fenland, which have significant environmental impacts, such as habitat loss, the release of stored carbon, and changes in hydrology. The biophysical constraints for mapping marginal land include peat soils thicker than 1 m, groundwater levels higher than 1 m, and grasslands.
Fenland
The natural grassland on peat (fenland) in the area are characterised by their unique ecosystem, supporting a variety of specialised plant and animal species in waterlogged, acidic conditions. However, the drainage of these moorlands for increased grass production for cattle has had significant environmental consequences. The use-case therefore suggests the rewetting of a number of hectares and the application of paludiculture processing lines with the purpose of using naturally growing fenland biomass as feedstock for new products.
Socioeconomic factors
Land use conditions – Competing uses of land and natural resources in the use case area, with regulatory requirements to protect biodiversity and reduce CO2 emissions, among other things, limit the scope of action and land use options for farmers.
Lack of economic viability – The low yields and quality of the grasslands make traditional management of the land for dairy farming economically unviable. The current alternative uses, such as suckler cow husbandry, are becoming increasingly uneconomical.
Stakeholder characteristics and engagement – The highly heterogeneous structure and cultural cha racteristics of rural businesses make it difficult to coordinate and implement common strategies, collaborative structures, and processes.
