40 Jahre Bayerisches Vertragsnaturschutzprogramm Offenland – Die Geschichte des größten Naturschutz-Förderprogramms in Deutschland

40 years of the bavarian contract-based nature conservation programme – the history of the largest nature conservation funding programme in Germany // The Bavarian contract-based nature conservation programme (CBCP) has now existed for over 40 years. In 2024, with annual expenditure of around 95 million euros, around 164,000 hectares of funded area and 29,000 farmers involved, it will be the largest nature conservation funding program in Germany. It went through many changes, overcame some hurdles and developed into the central Bavarian funding program. The aim is to preserve and develop ecologically valuable habitats and their species in the Bavarian agricultural landscape. Although this goal is largely being implemented on contracted nature conservation areas, a general trend reversal in terms of species decline has not yet been achieved. Here we take a look at the history of the contractual nature conservation program, but also at the overcome and current challenges of the European agricultural policy, which is closely linked to the funding program.