New Biodiversity Project to Create Nature Reserve Meadow in Surré

On Monday 13 May 2024, the Fondation Hëllef fir d'Natur and Cactus SA announced they are joining forces once again to help restore the Luxembourg landscape with the "Cactus Blummewiss" project, a flower meadow near Surré in north-western Luxembourg.

The preservation of biodiversity and the restoration of natural ecosystems is a key concern of the Fondation Hëllef fir d'Natur, natur&ëmwelt stressed. The “Cactus Blummewiss” project aims to restore the Luxembourg landscape mosaic, emphasising the promotion of biodiversity and the ecological management of a flowering meadow.

Landscape mosaic refers to the diversity of natural habitats that overlap and complement each other in a region, creating rich and varied ecosystems. Unfortunately, these habitats are increasingly threatened by urban development and intensive agriculture. The “Cactus Blummewiss” project aims to reverse this trend by reintroducing sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.

The main objective of this project is to re-establish a landscape mosaic including extensive permanent pastures, late-mown meadows and rich and diverse fauna. Natural features such as hedges and shrubs will also be incorporated to provide food and shelter for local wildlife. The chosen site is located in the town of Surré, an ideal location for discovering the “Bettlerbaach” meadows. Note that the “Cactus Blummewiss” will be designated as a nature reserve by natur&ëmwelt.

The partners added they will take several concrete actions, including:

• restoration of the reserve's natural habitats by identifying and rehabilitating key areas, seeking to encourage the recovery of local biodiversity - actions such as planting native species and restoring meadows are planned;
• raising public awareness and education on the importance of local ecosystems and conservation practices.

Patrick Losch, President of the Fondation Hëllef fir d'Natur, said: "By joining forces, we can have a significant impact on the preservation of nature in Luxembourg and inspire other companies to follow our example."

For almost 25 years, Cactus SA has supported the Fondation Hëllef fir d'Natur in carrying out nature protection projects, allowing the acquisition of plots of land with high biological value, by subsidising appropriate management of their reserves in favour of the protection of fauna and flora, and by making available its channels of dissemination and distribution of information to raise citizens' awareness of protecting nature.

After the campaign to support forests with the Bësch Cactus in Lieler, the orchards with the Bongert Cactus in Ettelbruck, and the Weier Cactus in Mensdorf, it was Max Leesch, President and Managing Director, and Laurent Schonckert, Managing Director Cactus SA, who confirmed the intention of the Cactus group to support this new project.

For his part, Laurent Schonckert, CEO of Cactus SA, added: “At Cactus, we believe in corporate social and environmental responsibility. By collaborating with the Fondation Hëllef fir d’Natur, we are strengthening our commitment to sustainability and preservation of biodiversity."