The Aper Tief is a nature reserve in the Lower Saxony municipality of Apen in the Ammerland district.
The eastern one of the viewing platforms
The nature reserve with the registration number NSG WE 221 is 75 hectares in size. It has been a nature reserve since December 17, 1994. The responsible lower nature conservation authority is the district of Ammerland.
The nature reserve is located south of the Aper Tief between the villages of Apen and Augustfehn in the municipality of Apen in the district of Ammerland. It is bounded in the east by Kreisstraße 120 and in the west by the Norderloher Canal. In the south of the nature reserve is the dike of the Aper Tief, which was moved in 2005 from the bank of the valley to a road south of it. Before the dyke line was relocated, there was grassland and wet meadows, which were criss-crossed by oxbow lakes from the Aper Tief. The grassland was mainly used for mowing. After the dyke line has been relocated, the areas between the Aper Tief and the dyke are subject to the natural flow dynamics and are partially flooded when the tide is high. This creates a floodplain landscape with floodplains, floodplain forests and wetlands. The areas also serve as flood protection.
On the wetted areas, reeds, including cattails, plumes of water and cane grass and sedges spread out. Settling in the nature reserve Laurel willow, prostrate St. John's wort, marsh marigold, large meadow button, water ragwort, water sedge, needle marsh rush, bristle moor rush and rush. The nature reserve is the habitat of numerous bird species, including the godwit, snipe and redshank. The nature reserve is also an important habitat for various insects, including ground beetles and dragonflies.
In the south of the nature reserve there are two viewing platforms that are accessible from the road along the dike and can be used for nature observation. Another vantage point is on a pumping station on the north bank of the Aper Tief near Augustfehn.