Eco-points and compensation areas
District of Ortenaukreis
Eco-points immediately available from officially recognised eco-accounts for impacts in the Ortenau district. greeNature supports your compensation under the Eco-Account Ordinance (ÖKVO) as a nationwide full-service partner, from impact assessment through land allocation to recognition by the lower nature conservation authority (Untere Naturschutzbehörde).
The District of Ortenaukreis at a glance
The Ortenau district lies in the west of Baden-Württemberg and belongs to the Freiburg administrative region and the Südlicher Oberrhein region. Covering around 1,861 km², it is the largest district in the state by area. More than 445,000 people live in its 51 towns and municipalities. The district seat and administrative centre is the major district town of Offenburg, with Lahr, Kehl and Achern as further economic centres.
The landscape of the district ranges from the Rhine plain to the heights of the Black Forest. The BfN assigns the area to two major landscapes, the Upper Rhine Lowlands (natural region D53) with the Offenburg Rhine plain, the former Rhine floodplains and the foothill zone, and the Black Forest (natural region D54) with the Kinzig, Rench and Acher valleys and the wooded ridges of the central Black Forest.
Ecologically significant are above all the Rhine floodplains with the Taubergießen Nature Reserve near Rust and Kappel-Grafenhausen, the extensive wetland and meadow-breeding-bird areas of the Kinzig-Schutter lowlands, and the upland meadows, vineyards and traditional orchards of the foothill zone. The district has land within several FFH sites and SPAs of the European Natura 2000 network.
Economically, the district is shaped by the north-south transport corridor of the A5 motorway and the Rhine Valley Railway, the Kehl river port, mechanical engineering and vehicle manufacturing, viticulture and fruit growing, and tourism. Such projects regularly trigger compensation and replacement obligations under §§ 13 to 15 BNatSchG, which in Baden-Württemberg are assessed in eco-points under the Eco-Account Ordinance.
🗺️ Associated natural regions
Go to natural region D54 ›
Go to natural region D53 ›
📍 Selected municipalities
🌿 Ecological features
- Taubergießen Nature Reserve near Rust and Kappel-Grafenhausen, the district's largest nature reserve, part of the Taubergießen, Elz und Ettenbach FFH site
- Kinzig-Schutter lowlands, a nationally significant stopover area for migratory birds and both an FFH site and an SPA
- Rhine floodplains with former river channels, floodplain woodland and shallow-water zones, a Natura 2000 landscape of European significance
- Central Black Forest with the Kinzig, Rench and Acher valleys, wooded ridges, upland meadows and near-natural streams
- Foothill zone of the Ortenau with vineyards, traditional orchards and dry-stone walls as heat-loving habitats
- Kinzig, Schutter, Rench and Acher as the defining watercourses between the Black Forest and the Rhine
✅ greeNature on the ground
greeNature operates nationwide and also develops compensation areas in the Ortenau district. We work consistently with the assessment system of the Eco-Account Ordinance (ÖKVO), coordinate measures with the lower nature conservation authority at the Ortenau District Office, and know the natural-region differences between the Rhine plain and the Black Forest. We allocate eco-points from recognised eco-accounts precisely to the relevant impact and handle the entire compensation process, from impact assessment through creation to management and monitoring.
Typical measures in the district of Ortenaukreis
Floodplain restoration on the Rhine
Reconnecting former river channels, developing floodplain woodland and shallow-water zones, and promoting floodplain dynamics in the Rhine floodplains. Such measures generate a high enhancement in eco-points under the ÖKVO and create habitat for kingfisher, amphibians and fish.
Wet meadows of the Kinzig-Schutter lowlands
Extensification and rewetting of grassland in the Kinzig-Schutter lowlands with late mowing and the creation of shallow pools, benefiting meadow-breeding birds such as the northern lapwing and resting migratory birds.
Vineyards, traditional orchards and dry-stone walls
Creation and management of traditional orchards, stone ridges and dry-stone walls in the sunny foothill zone, heat-loving habitats for sand lizard, wild bees and cavity-nesting birds such as the wryneck.
Near-natural forest conversion in the Black Forest
Development of structurally diverse, deadwood-rich deciduous and mixed woodland with veteran and cavity trees and low-disturbance refuges in the central Black Forest, benefiting bats, black stork and wildcat.
Watercourse restoration
Removal of bank engineering, creation of riparian buffer strips and restoration of connectivity on the Kinzig, Schutter, Rench and Acher, to improve floodplain dynamics and habitat diversity.
CEF and FCS species protection
Advance compensation measures (CEF) and measures to maintain favourable conservation status (FCS) under § 44 BNatSchG, for example replacement habitats for sand lizard, bat roosts and newly created spawning waters.
Protected species in the Between the Upper Rhine and the Black Forest (Ortenau)
Sand lizard in vineyards and along railway embankments
Vineyard walls, embankments, railway embankments and nutrient-poor sites in the foothill zone are core habitats for the sand lizard. For infrastructure and building projects, advance relocation and the creation of replacement habitats with stone ridges and sand lenses are common CEF practice.
About this species ›Kingfisher on the Kinzig and former Rhine channels
Near-natural bank sections with steep faces on the Kinzig, Schutter and the former Rhine channels offer the kingfisher nesting sites. Bank restoration and the reconnection of oxbows create new habitats.
About this species ›Amphibians in the Rhine floodplains
The seasonally wet floodplains and small water bodies on the Upper Rhine are home to species such as the tree frog, yellow-bellied toad and great crested newt. Newly created, fish-free spawning waters and the connection of wetland habitats are among the effective compensation measures.
About this species ›Northern lapwing in the Kinzig-Schutter lowlands
The open wet meadows of the Kinzig-Schutter lowlands are a significant area for meadow-breeding birds and resting migratory birds. The northern lapwing and other meadow birds benefit from extensive grassland use, rewetting and adapted mowing dates.
About this species ›Black stork in the Black Forest
The low-disturbance, water-rich woodlands of the central Black Forest offer the black stork breeding and foraging areas. Retaining quiet woodland areas and near-natural streams, as well as nest protection, are central species protection concerns here.
About this species ›Wildcat in the woodland corridors
The European wildcat is once again spreading in the Black Forest and uses structurally diverse, deadwood-rich woodland as well as connected woody corridors in the foothill zone. Low-disturbance woodland and continuous habitat-network corridors support the species.
About this species ›Which projects trigger a compensation obligation?
A5 motorway and B33
The planned expansion of the A5 to six lanes on the Upper Rhine, as well as the expansion of the B33 in the Kinzig valley, for example the Offenburg-Süd motorway feeder, generate a significant compensation requirement. greeNature develops matching eco-account measures under the ÖKVO for this.
Rhine Valley Railway, Karlsruhe to Basel
The construction and expansion of the Rhine Valley Railway between Karlsruhe and Basel runs through the Ortenau district and triggers extensive compensation and replacement obligations under §§ 13 to 15 BNatSchG as well as species protection measures under § 44 BNatSchG.
Kehl river port, industry and commerce
The Kehl river port as a multimodal transport hub, along with industrial and commercial land around Offenburg, Lahr and Kehl, leads to land sealing. Landowners can contribute suitable land as an eco-account, and greeNature handles planning, implementation and monitoring.
Renewable energy
Ground-mounted photovoltaics on sites in the Rhine plain and wind energy projects on the heights of the Black Forest require nature conservation compensation as well as species protection assessments and, where necessary, FCS measures for wind-turbine-sensitive species.
From enquiry to monitoring
Contact and enquiry
Tell us your compensation requirement and the natural region. We check availability.
Offer and advice
A transparent offer covering measure types, scope and availability.
Coordination with authorities
Full coordination with the lower nature conservation authority. We handle everything.
Long-term monitoring
Permanent securing of the land, management and documentation across the contract term.
Eco-points in adjoining districts
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in the district of Ortenaukreis
Request eco-points in the district of Ortenaukreis
We will promptly prepare a transparent offer with matching eco-points held in stock in the district of Ortenaukreis.