On June 3, 2025, the focus day “Springs in the Rhein-Taunus Nature Park – Let Ideas Flow Together” took place at the Bürgerhaus Taunus in Taunusstein. Around 40 participants from government, academia, forestry, and water management took the opportunity to discuss the ecological and landscape-defining significance of springs and to jointly develop new perspectives for their future in the nature park.
The event marked the start of a new working process: The goal is to anchor the topic of “springs” more firmly within the nature park, to foster a shared understanding of their protection and development, and to draft a project outline for future work.
The RheinTaunus Nature Park is being supported in this effort by the Institute for Rural Structural Research (IfLS) e.V., which is assisting with the process.
In his opening remarks, District Administrator Sandro Zehner emphasized the importance of springs for the landscape, biodiversity, and regional identity. Dr. Ulrich Gehrlein (IfLS) and Andreas Wennemann (RheinTaunus Nature Park) provided the technical context for the topic and guided the proceedings throughout the day.
Three well-researched keynote presentations provided a multifaceted introduction:
- Dr. Rainer Dambeck (Goethe University Frankfurt) explained the influence of forest, soil, and topography on runoff formation,
- Prof. Dr. Eckhard Jedicke (Geisenheim University) advocated for a “sponge landscape” as a nature-based response to the climate crisis,
- Dr. Holger Schindler (IGÖ GmbH) highlighted springs as sensitive indicators of a changing water balance.
In interactive workshops, key areas of action were discussed in depth: How can springs be systematically mapped? What role does adapted land management play? And how can a shared knowledge management system be established for practitioners? The IfLS moderated the working sessions and will systematically evaluate the results and incorporate them into the development of a project outline.
The focus day demonstrated that the topic of “springs” is generating significant interest—both professionally and emotionally. The event was a successful kickoff for translating this potential into concrete actions.
Anyone interested in learning more about the development of the project outline is welcome to contact us at any
Contact person at IfLS: Hanna Kramer (kramer[at]ifls.de)
