Restore Peatlands Morbach

CODE: IBG 17

Work:

Active for climate protection and biodiversity – save the peatlands in the Hunsrück area.
You will actively contribute to protecting some special peatlands, which are situated on the slopes of the lower mountain range called “Hunsrück”. These areas were drained more than 100 years ago for forestry use but they are a valuable and natural Co2 storage. Therefore the revitalisation of these peatlands was started, Under the supervision of a Park Ranger you will improve the water balance in the moor areas in order to renature the moors, and also to help the moors to arrange better with the consequences of climate change . The measures will include closing some ditches as well as other small interventions to control the water flow. The work is expected to take place in two different Hunsrück peatland areas: A peatland forest area near the tiny village of Hochscheid and an area of open moorland near Morbach. As this one moor has been opened up for tourism, one task might be the closure of a ditch under a footbridge used along a hiking trail. This will make the revitalised moor more visible for hikers and offers the opportunity for environmental education activities. During the work and on some excursions, the park ranger will introduce you to many aspects of the ecological background.
Attention: The work might be physically hard and you will get wet and muddy for sure! Please bring hiking boots, rubber boots and working clothes.

Accomodation and food

You will stay in the community centre of Deuselbach. The accommodation is spacious, has a huge kitchen including a dish-washer and a living room, toilets and showers. There is one big sleeping room with camping beds. Wifi and even a washing machine are available. Please bring your sleeping bag.
Your group of volunteers will be responsible for grocery shopping and cooking together. The food will be bought with the camp budget and everybody will take turns for cooking, washing the dishes and cleaning. In order to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet, we encourage volunteers to reduce meat and try more sustainable dishes.

Location and leisure

The workcamp will take places in the western part of Rhineland-Palatinate. You will stay in Deuselbach, a small village with 260 inhabitants. The local villagers are very much interested to welcome you, many parties and events will happen. Deuselbach has a pub but no shops. The next bigger village (Thalfang) is 5km far, here you can find everything you need (shops, swimming pool…). There are also many tourists in the area as it is well known for hiking all over the year and for skiing in winter. The next bigger city it Trier (40 km), the oldest Germany city with many Roman sights, a huge cathedral and plenty of this to do (vineyard, shopping, clubs…). You will do several excursions with the support of the Park Rangers, e.g. to Trier, the oldest German city with many famous sights.

Project hosted by

This workcamp is based on the cooperation between IBG and the regional “Foundation for Nature and environment”. We have been working together since 2016, organising one or two international Workcamps per year in the field of nature protection.

Directions to meeting point

You will be picked up from the bus stop called “Hunsrückhaus/Erbeskopf, Hilscheid”. Please inform your campleader about your arrival time on Aug 10th . Please check for connections from anywhere to Deuselbach www.bahn.com There are regular busses to this bus stop from the train stations of Idar-Oberstein, Trier and Neubrücke(Nahe).
International bus stops: suitable international bus stops are in Mainz, Saarbrucken and Trier
Most suitable airports: Frankfurt (FRA), Luxembourg (LUX)

Additional comments

This is a special project for nature lovers and people interested in nature protection work. You will get wet and dirty.
Please be aware that ticks can be an issue when you spend a lot of time outdoors in natural areas in Germany - like in this camp. In our General Infosheet you will find suggestions on how you can protect yourself against them. You are also welcome to check whether a vaccination against the tick-borne disease TBE makes sense and is possible in your home country.