Nature-friendly banks

A nature-friendly bank (nvo) is a gradually sloping transition from land to water where it is good for aquatic plants and animals. Nature-friendly banks are mowed in phases with a lot of vegetation remaining. These banks consist of wet wide shallow zones with plants protruding below and above the water. The wider this zone from open water to dry slope, the higher the biodiversity. Nature-friendly banks are "the home of the fish," and if this is in order, other species such as aquatic insects and amphibians come naturally. Fish can lay their eggs on the plants and it is place where young fish can shelter from pike, for example. The drier (reed) zone forms "the home of birds and small (mammals). In spring, perennial reed is needed for nest-building by reed warblers, among others.

Reed used to be seen primarily as bank protection. It still has this task. But nowadays we also see reed banks as habitats for many plants and animals. They are also so-called 'ecological connecting zones' and connect areas with each other, allowing animals to look for other places to live and breed. We manage and maintain 1,200 kilometers of reed banks. We do the maintenance in phases, mowing about a third of the total each year.