Whenever Deutsche Bahn’s construction projects affect nature, ecological compensation is created. For example, DB maintains compensation areas in Hesse, where heck cattle and bison do the work. 

Few people know: heck cattle and bison, the European bison, are ideal landscape keepers. The rare and robust breed of cattle consumes around 50 kilograms of grass each day, creating new habitats for rare plants and animals. 

In the national natural heritage site in Aschaffenburg, a small herd of about a dozen heck cattle, together with Przewalski’s horses, ensures optimal grazing of the grasslands on behalf of DB. They help prevent shrubs from spreading and preserve vital habitats for other plant and animal species.

In the national nature heritage Aschaffenburg a dozen of heck cattle care for the optimal grazing.

And heck cattle don’t just support the environment – they are also a popular attraction for visitors to the nature trail at the former Schweinheim Exe. Descended from the aurochs, which has been extinct since the 17th century, today only a few of these longhorn cattle remain worldwide.

Bison as landscape keepers in the forest 

On the MUNA site near Münster in Hesse, a herd of bison has moved into the specially protected forest area. Bison are the last surviving wild cattle species and are threatened with extinction. As experts in grazing forest areas, they ensure that clearings on the 250-hectare mainly wooded site don’t become overgrown. Weighing up to 1,000 kg, European bison enrich their diet of wild herbs, grass and moss with such delicacies as twigs, leaves and lichen. 

Nature Experience Trail – Wisent Forest 

Since October 2023, the bison can also be admired on the new, nationally unique “Wisent Forest” nature discovery trail. The 1,500-meter-long path offers insights into local biodiversity and explains the forest ecosystem. From a barefoot trail to a viewing platform with panoramic views of bison and Przewalski’s horses, to 3D graffiti artworks on the walls of former bunkers – the trail offers diverse and playful experiences for the whole family. Together with the Federal Agency for Real Estate and the municipality of Münster (Hesse), DB has created a special nature and learning site, further contributing to the ecological compensation of the new railway expansion project. 

Deutsche Bahn maintains the MUNA site as a compensation measure for expansion projects along the new line between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim.