nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
Drenthe
Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Jan ...
that has been included in the
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
ecological network. Since 2006 it is part of the Internationaler Naturpark Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen (''engl. Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen International Nature Park''), a nature reserve located on both sides of the border between the Netherlands and
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Most of the transboundary nature reserve, some , lies in Germany, in the west of the state of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
. The sparsely populated landscape consists of large peat areas, heather, and small lakes.
The Dutch part of the nature reserve was founded in 1992 as ''Natuurreservaat Bargerveen''. It was designated as a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
raised bog
Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation (ombro ...
and was coordinated by
Staatsbosbeheer
Staatsbosbeheer, founded in 1899, is a Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves.
Staatsbosbeheer currently oversees over 250,000 hectares of land in the Netherlands. Usually this land is open to the public ...
, the government agency that manages the site. The work was supported by the European Union's LIFE programme in the years 2003–2006, but it was noted that the full effects would be seen in the longer term.
Bargerveen has been twinned with two Irish Ramsar Sites, Clara Bog and Raheenmore Bog, which were identified as needing active management measures.A Directory of Wetlands of International Importance
Flora and fauna
Bargerveen is a
Special Protection Area
A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...
for bird-life, and is home to large numbers of wintering bean geese. It is also an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
red-backed shrike
The red-backed shrike (''Lanius collurio'') is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family, Laniidae. Its breeding range stretches from Western Europe east to central Russia. It is migratory and winters in the eastern areas of ...
.
It is also a
Special Area of Conservation
A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
.
File:Bargerveen10.jpg, Now an insect hotel, this house was previously occupied by a family, the last people to live at Bargerveen.
File:Bargerveen.jpg, Bargerveen Nature Reserve
File:Bargerveen nightshot1.jpg, Bargerveen Nature Reserve at night