Sutschketal, Nature reserve in Bestensee, Germany

Sutschketal is a nature reserve situated between two lakes, featuring wet meadows, reed beds, alder forests, and marshland. This variety of habitats spreads across approximately 59 hectares.

The Sutschketal is a glacial trough formed during the Brandenburg Phase of the Weichselian glaciation in a plateau of boulder clay. It runs about two kilometres north-south and is up to 250 metres wide. Until the 1950s residents used it as a wood-pasture and dug clay from its slopes for houses, barns and ovens; the area was protected in 1995.

The area served as shared forest where residents gathered firewood and dug clay until the mid-1900s. This traditional use shaped the landscape people see today.

A 13-kilometre circular hiking trail marked with a blue cross on a white background runs through the valley. A new boardwalk over the moor, inaugurated in 2017, lets walkers cross the valley floor with dry feet. The trail starts near Krummensee and Bestensee.

Scientists have recorded more than 400 wild plant species here, with 75 classified as endangered or severely at risk. This concentration of rare plants makes the location particularly valuable for botanical study.