Tümpel-Renaissance: Life returns to the University of Konstanz!

Tümpel-Renaissance: Life returns to the University of Konstanz!

In 2003, a small pool of the University of Konstanz dried completely due to a hot summer and a too thin layer of clay. The next challenge was the crack in the tone floor, which permanently damaged the sealing of the pool. But more than two decades later, the pool experienced its restoration, led by Gregor Schmitz, the head of the botanical garden of the university, and Lothar Damaschek from the State Office for Vermösen und Bau, Office Constance. This initiative was done as part of the "Nature Positive Universities" program, which the University of Konstanz joined to create new biotopes in the campus area, as Campus.uni-konstanz.de

The restoration work began in January 2024 with the professional examination of the soil profile and the measurement of the sound layer. At the end of the month, dredging work started to remove the old layer of clay and adjust the profile. High quality tone from a construction pit in the Paradies district was used, with the new layer fatter than the previous one. In addition, structural elements such as tree trunks and root pieces were used. The first animals were spotted at the beginning of the summer of 2024, including young water frogs and flat abbreviations.

growth of biodiversity

In spring 2025, Gregor Schmitz counted 108 spawning bales of the jumping frog in the restored pool. The biodiversity of the pool has developed remarkably and now comprises various amphibians such as jumping frogs, water frogs as well as mountain and pond newts. In addition, at least four floating beetle species, including the gel fire beetle and the furrow swimmer, as well as larvae of the leaf abdomen and a special type of quiver fly, were discovered. Despite a dry spring 2025, the pool will continue to be supplied with water from the botanical garden to secure the living conditions for the numerous species.

A comprehensive context of the challenges of biodiversity provides the discussion about the sixth mass extinction, as explained by nature.com . According to Ceballos and colleagues, there are indications of the loss of biological diversity, signaled by the decline in vertebrate populations and the phenomenon of defaunation in the anthropocene. This dramatic loss of species is referred to as "biological annihilation" and requires an immediate reaction to pass on the risk of the final extinction.

participation of the EU

At the same time, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 was determined by the EU Parliament in June 2021, with the aim of securing and strengthening the ecosystems by 2050. The strategy stipulates that at least 30 percent of the EU marine and land areas, including forests and wetlands, are to be protected. Ten percent of these areas should remain largely unaffected to promote biodiversity, as on Europarl.europa.eu . The EU also calls for binding goals that are to be implemented in cooperation with regional and local authorities.