Grossharthau (Saxony) – Toads and frogs: For Großharthaus Mayor Jens Krauße (55, SPD), these small animals are currently a huge annoyance.
The municipality wants to renew the island pond (created in 1893) in the castle park. Clean up the rotted wood frame, remove mud and leaves. But the guidelines from the district office cause resentment.
The Inselsee is located in the Grossharthau Castle Park
Because before the pond can be renovated, the district wants u. a. “all occurrences of amphibians (…) and reptiles” are recorded. Means: The frogs have to be counted.
The district office defends the effort: “All native amphibians, reptiles, pond mussels and dragonflies that colonize aquatic habitats are among the animal species that are particularly or strictly protected under the Federal Nature Conservation Act.”
But that is expensive and time-consuming: the census must be carried out by a “competent planning office”, which costs the municipality (2832 inhabitants) 4977 euros.
And not all the animals are awake yet: “The green frogs, the small pond frog or the marsh frog are not yet active. They need higher temperatures. The recent cold snap has delayed this,” says frog expert Dr. Raphael Ernst (46).
For the count of toads, the place must put down a fair amount of toads
44 195.41 euros should cost the lake rehabilitation in total. “The mud and leaves in the lake also have to be sampled and, if necessary, disposed of as hazardous waste,” says Krausse.
That alone makes 24,445 euros. “This obsession with regulation is causing resentment. Everything would be cheaper,” said the mayor.