Luxembourg’s biggest nature reserve
Officially classified as a national nature reserve in 1994, the core area “Haard-Hesselsbierg-Staebierg” with its more than 600 hectares is the largest contiguous nature reserve in Luxembourg.
The former open-cast mines, which are regularly grazed by migrating sheep, offer a rich habitat due to their special characteristics. The pioneer meadows that were created here and are preserved today, are characterized by their poverty of nutrients, by the heat that appears quickly on these surfaces during the summer, often accompanied by a greater dryness, and by their brightness.
But also the slag heap that can be found on the edge of the plateau of the “Haard” is biologically valuable. Here the woodlark (Lullula arborea) has found a home, which it enjoys together with more than 100 other bird species, including the Eurasian eagel-owl (Bubo Bubo), which takes advantage of the quarry faces to nest.
The core area “Haard-Hesselsbierg-Staebierg” of the Minett UNESCO Biosphere is also characterized by an abundance of orchids and butterflies, which populate the protected area of national interest in summer. There is a presence of lizards, snakes and amphibians and in the case of mammals, it is also worth mentioning the wild cat, bats and dormice, which have found refuge in this part of our biosphere reserve.
More information on this core area can be found in this brochure edited by the Nature an Forest Agency.
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