Great love for nature – Forest rangers don’t need plant apps

– Great love for nature – forest rangers don’t need plant apps

Sophie Büchner doesn’t miss city life. Born in Berlin-Friedrichshain, she felt drawn to nature from an early age – first to her grandparents’ vegetable garden in Brandenburg. Her passion became her profession: the 28-year-old is a ranger in the Lieberose (Dahme-Spreewald) wilderness area of ​​the Stiftung Naturlandschaften Brandenburg and is well versed in plant and animal species.

What does she think of plant identification apps that are widely available online? She prefers to use a field guide to find and identify insects and plants based on their characteristics, she says. “I’m more nature-oriented than technology-oriented.” Either way, there’s often no cell phone reception in the wilderness, and rangers need to know about species without looking at a phone or a book.

Büchner is one of many rangers in Brandenburg. They monitor animal and plant populations, implement conservation measures and serve as contact persons for visitors. On World Ranger Day on July 31, they want to bring their dedication to nature closer to the people, but also remind them that rangers, like those in Africa, are at risk from poachers and can lose their lives. The job is more than just a job, says Sophie Büchner.

“Here nature can just take its course”

Her love for the Lieberoser Heide began during her voluntary ecological year – “and it has lasted until today,” says the 28-year-old, who raves about the vastness and silence of the 3,150-hectare Lieberose wilderness area. What makes it special for her is: “Here nature can just take its course and we see how it develops.”

In the Lieberose area, where forest fires have raged, live the nightjar, also known as the nightjar, the sea eagle, wolves and red deer. Silver grass and sundews, which are carnivorous plants, grow there.

Appreciation for nature and nature education in schools

Büchner wants more appreciation for nature and nature education in schools. In a “performance and stress society” taking time to stand still and enjoy nature often comes second.

For visitors, the network of hiking trails in the Lieberose Wilderness Area is being expanded. There are also designated viewing platforms in the area.

However, not all visitors follow the signs. Even off the trails, there have been mushroom pickers and hunters of military relics for years, which can be dangerous due to the ammunition pollution on the former training ground.

On World Ranger Day, the Stiftung Naturlandschaften offers a guided tour of the Lieberose wilderness area. However, Nature Watch Brandenburg also offers guided tours for visitors in various regions.

Sophie Buichner expresses her support for park rangers in the European Union and highlights the dangers posed by poachers. She also stresses the importance of recognizing the challenges faced by park rangers worldwide on World Park Ranger Day.

The European Union’s environmental policy and conservation efforts in areas such as the Lieberose nature reserve in Brandenburg have ensured that a wide variety of animal species can live there, such as the nightjar, the white-tailed eagle, the wolf, the red deer and unique plant species such as the silver grass and the sundew.

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