Nature conservation, land use, and biodiversity
We consider the protection of soil and groundwater to be one of the most important aspects of our commitment to environmental protection. The primary goal in this area is to prevent soil and groundwater from being contaminated in the first place.
Protection of soil and groundwater. Technical equipment such as catchment trays, double-walled containers, special sealed floor coverings, and leakage warning systems helps to prevent water-polluting fluids from leaking into the ground. Since legal stipulations vary greatly worldwide, the Group has set internal guidelines that establish minimum standards for soil and groundwater protection at all of its facilities around the globe.
Land use. Our production facilities cover a total area of about 4,000 hectares (2.47 acres), 55 percent of which is covered by buildings, roads, or parking areas. Because land is a limited public asset, we use these surfaces as intensively as possible — for example, through multi-story buildings and high-density construction. Such industrial architecture can also provide habitat for threatened animal species. One example of this can be seen at the Wörth plant, where peregrine falcons nest on top of a chimney. In cooperation with nature conservation organizations and public agencies, we are increasingly transforming open areas at our plants into species-rich meadows instead of lawns.
The internal Daimler assessments of environmental risks also address production sites located in protected areas or in environments at risk. Only one production facility (Rastatt, Germany) is currently located in the direct vicinity of a nature reserve (as defined by EU Directive 92/43/EEC of May 21, 1992, on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora). Suitable protective measures were already taken into consideration when planning the production facility. The planning activities also included setting aside special zones for the recovery of populations of rare and/or endangered species. A review of the implemented measures by independent external auditors ten years after the launch of production yielded positive results.
Special protective measures were also taken at the test course in Papenburg.
Environmental compensatory measures for renaturalizing a raised bog landscape
Daimler built a state-of-the-art test center for passenger cars and trucks southeast of Papenburg, Germany between 1995 and 1997. The center covers an area of about 950 hectares, 108 hectares of which had the soil surface sealed for a test track. To comply with nature conservation laws, Daimler therefore had to carry out compensatory measures on an area of 1,018 hectares near the facility. As a result of industrial-scale peat digging and subsequent use as forest and agricultural land, the compensatory area had largely lost its former character as a raised bog. The original plant and animal species had been almost totally displaced, and only small parcels of vegetation typically found in raised bogs remained.
The compensatory concept therefore aimed to develop landscape, biotope, and habitat structures that would compensate for the lost areas and at the same time permanently secure existing remnants of the raised bogs. The measures launched in 1997 encompassed the creation and development of 509 hectares of raised bog, 278 hectares of raised bog heath, 125 hectares of bird nesting meadowlands, and 106 hectares of woods.
An environmental inspection demonstrated that we have fully and outstandingly implemented compensatory measures that make a major contribution to protecting plant and animal species in the region. The collected data show that the regions still contain many high-quality habitats. By contrast, the areas classified as of ecologically low quality decreased by nearly 700 hectares or 81 percent between 1993 and 2009. The areas of all other quality classifications increased, in particular those of medium and also of very high quality.
Prior to the measures’ implementation, the 178-hectare Wildes Moor region, for example, consisted of dry areas of peat that were free of vegetation. Only two years after waterlogging of the area began, it became apparent that vegetation typical of raised bogs, such as species of sphagnum and eriophorum, had started to recolonize the region. In addition, the area now once again serves as a habitat for many animal species, especially for wading and water birds. A total of 12 species of dragonflies, including various species on the red list for the state of Lower Saxony, have established strong populations in the area.
All in all, the number of bird species has strongly increased in the compensatory areas. They include the great grey shrike, a bird species that is near extinction but which is now nesting in the southern part of the test center. The extremely threatened and strongly protected moor frog has also spread surprisingly well throughout the compensatory area. The area provides an ideal habitat for dragonflies, which need water to thrive. The number of species therefore increased from 23 in 1992 to 34 in 2004. Threatened reptile species such as the smooth snake and the common European adder are now found in the region again as well. We will continue to actively help examine and preserve these areas in the future.
