Cuxhavener Küstenheiden

Cuxhavener Küstenheiden is a 892-hectare nature reserve along the North Sea coast containing heathland, dunes, wetland areas, and patches of woodland. The terrain combines different habitats that together create a varied ecosystem.

From 1892 to 2003, military exercises took place on the land, which paradoxically protected it from agricultural conversion and development. This unintended consequence helped preserve the heathland intact until the area received formal protection.

The landscape is maintained through grazing by domestic and wild animals, which keep the heathland open and prevent it from becoming overgrown with trees. This traditional management method shapes the appearance and character of the reserve today.

The area can be explored on marked trails, including a three-kilometer nature path called 'Holter Heide' that has nine educational stations about heathland ecology. The trails allow visitors to walk at different paces and stop frequently to observe the landscape and wildlife.

The reserve is home to over 200 endangered species, including rare plants like gentian and dragonflies such as the variable damselfly. This high diversity of specialized species has found refuge here after disappearing from other regions.