Soonwald-Nahe Nature Park Receives €175,000 DBU Funding for Water‑Retention Sponge Region

The German Federal Environment Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, DBU) is providing roughly €175,000 to the Hochschule Geisenheim to develop a "sponge region" in the Soonwald‑Nahe Nature Park in Rhineland‑Palatinate. The project aims to increase natural water retention in forests and fields, thereby reducing the impacts of drought and intense rainfall caused by climate change.

A guide of best‑practice measures is being drafted under the direction of Dr. Jörn Schultheiß and Prof. Dr. Eckhard Jedicke, with project manager Jenny Eckes coordinating work with municipalities, forestry and agriculture stakeholders. DBU Secretary Alexander Bonde emphasized that such adaptations are essential to safeguard local communities and the long‑term viability of midsized forestry and farming enterprises.