World Wildlife Day 2026 on Baldeneysee

Essen, Baldeneysee, March 3, 2026. The glossy black and yellow fire salamander seems like a creature from another time. It is shy, nocturnal, and dependent on damp, cool forests – conditions that are not found around the Baldeneysee They would actually be ideal in Essen's southern district. But their population is shrinking dramatically. Diseases like the salamander-eating fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans), increasing periods of drought, and the loss of habitats are taking their toll. It's no coincidence that this particular species is the focus of this year's World Wildlife Day: it represents many species that live hidden from view and whose need for protection is often overlooked. It's high time we took a closer look.

The Baldeneysee is a place for many people from Essen, the Ruhr area and also from the Rhineland to go for a walk, Ride a bike, Sailing and let your mind wander. But beyond the riverside paths, on and beneath the water's surface, a complex ecosystem unfolds. In the floodplains and in Heisinger Bogen bird sanctuary Waterfowl breed here, fish and insects find refuge in the reed beds, and bats, amphibians, rare bird species, and other wildlife inhabit the adjacent forests. This diversity is no accident, but the result of decades of restoration efforts that have transformed once heavily polluted waters into a vibrant natural habitat. At the same time, the lake is under enormous pressure: recreational use, increasing visitor numbers, and climate change lead to conflicts that cannot always be resolved immediately. World Wildlife Day serves as a reminder that natural spaces like this are not to be taken for granted and require our utmost respect and consideration.

The fire salamander is just one of several species threatened along the Baldeneysee trail. The midwife toad, once common in many regions of North Rhine-Westphalia, has also become rare. Its breeding ponds are disappearing, and climate change is altering the conditions in the moist forest soils it requires. The kingfisher is also under observation. Although it is still regularly seen along the Baldeneysee trail, its populations are sensitive to disturbance and the decline of small fish species. Bats such as the greater mouse-eared bat and the Daubenton's bat also depend on intact hunting grounds and undisturbed roosts – both of which are becoming increasingly scarce in densely populated areas. The common shrew, European hamster, swallow, and house sparrow are also increasingly threatened species.

Species conservation at Baldeneysee means preserving and improving habitats. This includes measures such as creating deadwood areas in the forest, establishing spawning grounds for amphibians, and designating quiet zones for waterfowl. At the same time, it requires sensitivity in the use of the lake: staying on designated paths, keeping dogs from roaming freely through the undergrowth, practicing water sports that respect protected areas, and ensuring visitors dispose of their trash properly instead of carelessly leaving it lying around or deliberately throwing it into the water. Many of these measures may seem insignificant, but they determine whether endangered species, such as the fire salamander, have a future. Species Conservation Day makes visible what otherwise remains hidden – and shows how closely the well-being of nature is linked to our own actions.

Despite all the challenges, Lake Baldeneysee offers an example of how nature conservation and recreational use can coexist. Projects such as the ecological enhancement of the shoreline, the reintroduction of certain plant species, and the scientific monitoring of amphibian populations demonstrate that commitment has an impact. The lake is thus not only a place for recreation but also an open-air laboratory for sustainable urban ecology.