Eco-points and compensation areas
District of Berchtesgadener Land
Immediately available eco-points from officially recognised eco-accounts. greeNature is your full-service partner for compensation under BayKompV between the Berchtesgaden Alps and the Rupertiwinkel.
The District of Berchtesgadener Land at a glance
The district of Berchtesgadener Land lies in the far south-east of Bavaria and extends as a peninsula deep into Austrian territory. On the German side it borders only the district of Traunstein, otherwise the city of Salzburg and several districts of the state of Salzburg. The district seat is Bad Reichenhall, the economic centre is the north around Freilassing, within the Salzburg conurbation.
In landscape terms, the district ranges from the Berchtesgaden Alps, with the Watzmann (2,713 m) and the Untersberg, to the foothill hill and moorland of the Rupertiwinkel. Geologically, the limestone and dolomite massifs of the Northern Limestone Alps shape the south (natural region D68), while the north is shaped by glacial moraines, gravels and fen bogs along the Salzach and Saalach (natural region D66).
The district is of outstanding ecological importance. Around 37 per cent of the district area is designated as Natura 2000 sites, including 13 FFH sites and four bird sanctuaries. Its centrepiece is Berchtesgaden National Park, Germany's only Alpine national park, complemented by the Untersberg FFH site, the Salzach and Saalach floodplains and numerous moors and mountain hay meadows. The district is part of the Berchtesgadener Land Biosphere Region.
The economy combines tourism and health and spa services with commerce and housing development in the densely populated border area with Salzburg. Transport projects, settlement and commercial development, and hydropower on the Alpine rivers regularly trigger impacts that require compensation under BayKompV. The close interplay of settlement pressure and high-value protected sites places particular demands on compensation planning.
🗺️ Associated natural regions
Go to natural region D68 ›
Go to natural region D66 ›
Go to natural region D67 ›
📍 Selected municipalities
🌿 Ecological features
- Berchtesgaden National Park, Germany's only Alpine national park
- 17 Natura 2000 sites (13 FFH sites, 4 bird sanctuaries) covering around 37% of the district area
- Untersberg FFH site (8343-303), limestone massif with caves, springs and dwarf mountain pine stands
- Salzach and Saalach floodplains as a cross-border river and floodplain landscape
- Königssee and the Watzmann east face, high-Alpine rock and scree habitats
- Fens and raised bogs in the Rupertiwinkel, including the Ainringer Moos
- Mountain hay meadows and alpine pastures as species-rich extensively managed grassland
✅ greeNature on the ground
greeNature is rooted in the Upper Bavarian Inn-Salzach region and knows the requirements of compensation in the Alpine and foothill areas from practical experience. We work with the lower nature conservation authority in Bad Reichenhall and know the regional land pools and the particularities of natural regions D66 and D68 in Berchtesgadener Land.
Typical measures in the district of Berchtesgadener Land
Moorland restoration and rewetting
Raising the water table and removing drainage ditches in the fens and raised bogs of the Rupertiwinkel, including around the Ainringer Moos. Such measures secure moorland habitats, store carbon and create habitats for moorland species.
Floodplain restoration on the Salzach and Saalach
Removal of bank reinforcements, reconnection of oxbows and allowing natural watercourse dynamics. This creates steep banks, gravel bars and floodplain woodland as habitat for kingfisher, fish and amphibians along the Alpine rivers.
Mountain mixed and protective forest development
Conversion of structurally poor stands into site-appropriate mountain mixed forests of spruce, fir, beech and sycamore maple, and promotion of mature timber and deadwood. Such measures stabilise protective forests and enhance habitats on the wooded slopes.
Extensification of mountain hay meadows and alpine pastures
Conservation and development of species-rich mountain and wet meadows through adjusted mowing dates, no fertiliser use and extensive grazing. Mountain hay meadows are a protected FFH habitat type and are central to Alpine insect and plant diversity.
CEF and FCS species protection
Bat roosts in and on buildings and in the caves of the Untersberg, kingfisher nesting banks on the Saalach and Salzach, replacement habitats for the sand lizard on railway embankments and slopes, each as an advance CEF or population-supporting FCS measure under sections 44 and 45 BNatSchG.
Hedgerows, traditional orchards and habitat network
Establishment of hedgerows, field copses and traditional orchards on the moraine slopes of the Rupertiwinkel. These structures connect habitats, create stepping-stone habitats and enhance the cleared agricultural landscape in the north of the district.
Protected species in the Berchtesgaden Alps and Rupertiwinkel
Bats in caves and buildings
Greater mouse-eared bat, barbastelle and other species use the caves and crevices of the Untersberg as well as roof spaces and cellars across the district. All species are strictly protected (Annex IV Habitats Directive), and replacement roosts are required as a CEF measure for demolition and refurbishment.
About this species ›Kingfisher on the Saalach and Salzach
The near-natural bank sections of the Alpine rivers provide steep banks as nesting sites. For impacts on watercourses, such as bridge or bank construction, shaping steep banks and bank restoration are typical CEF measures for the strictly protected kingfisher.
About this species ›Amphibians in moors and ponds
Common frog, common toad and yellow-bellied toad inhabit moorland waters, ponds and seasonally wet hollows of the Rupertiwinkel. Replacement spawning waters and land habitats in spatial proximity secure their breeding sites during building and infrastructure projects.
About this species ›Great crested newt in standing water
The great crested newt (Annex II and IV of the Habitats Directive) needs larger, fish-free ponds with rich submerged vegetation as well as structurally diverse land habitats. Creating and connecting suitable spawning waters are proven CEF and FCS measures.
About this species ›Hazel dormouse in woodland and woodland edges
The strictly protected hazel dormouse inhabits structurally diverse woodland edges, hedgerows and scrub in the foothill region. Clearance work requires phased, professionally supervised removal of woody vegetation and connection of replacement habitats.
About this species ›Alpine species of the high altitudes
Golden eagle, black grouse, rock ptarmigan and Alpine salamander characterise the high altitudes of the Berchtesgaden Alps. For projects in sensitive mountain regions, such as cable cars or Alpine infrastructure, a specific species protection assessment of these species is regularly required.
Which projects trigger a compensation obligation?
Transport and infrastructure
Expansion and refurbishment of federal and state roads, bypasses, bridge structures over the Salzach and Saalach, and railway projects in the Freilassing and Bad Reichenhall area trigger compensation and replacement obligations under BayKompV.
Settlement, commerce and tourism
Housing and commercial areas in the densely populated border area with Salzburg (Freilassing, Ainring, Bad Reichenhall) as well as tourism projects lead to land sealing and require compensation under nature conservation law, often with consideration of adjoining protected sites.
Energy and hydropower
Hydropower facilities on the Saalach and Salzach, modernisation of existing plants and ground-mounted photovoltaic systems generate compensation requirements and can trigger CEF measures for watercourse-dependent species such as the kingfisher.
Alpine and tourism infrastructure
Cable cars, mountain stations, trails and snowmaking facilities in the Berchtesgaden Alps affect sensitive high-altitude habitats. Impacts require careful species protection assessment and precisely matched compensation.
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.
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