Seevengeti Nature Reserve

There used to be an overburden site from the Maschen marshalling yard. Today a great savannah landscape that is atypical for the Elbmarschland!

The cattle ensure that no trees, especially birch, which are susceptible to these soils, can spread, much like the sheep in the heath

"The Seevengeti (artificial word from Seeveniederung and the Serengeti in Tanzania, made famous in particular by Bernhard Grzimek's documentary "Serengeti must not die") was created in cooperation with the nature conservation authority of the Harburg district, our NABU group and a committed farmer.
In fact, the nutrient-poor grassland, the thorn bushes and open sandy areas are more reminiscent of the steppes of East Africa than of the typical Elbe marsh landscape. This 10-hectare (or small) "steppe" was created during the construction of the Maschen marshalling yard in the 1970s. Rock and unusable soil were heaped up on the area of today's Seevengeti on Lake Steller and left to nature. They gladly accepted the offer and created habitats that are atypical for this area, but therefore all the more valuable, e.g. B. for rare insects, birds and plants. (..)"
Source: nabu-winsen-luhe.de/projects/seevengeti