Rescuing Veronica acinifolia
In cooperation with Botanical Garden Frankfurt, KfW Stiftung is committed to the preservation of endangered endemic perennials in Hessia.
A small but important step for biodiversity: The Veronica acinifolia was re-settled for good.
The last of the wild endemic species was found in Pohlheim-Hausen, south-east of Gießen. In spring 2015, an expert commissioned by the Botanical Garden had discovered a single plant and managed to collect ten seeds. The conditions of the location had turned unfavourably; supporting measures were too late and in vain. By now, the population of Veronica acinifolia is extinct.
The few seeds that were collected, were reproduced in the Botanical Garden. In spring of 2017, a few dozen grown plants were ready to be transplanted. Their re-settlement in a new spot of a local conservation area was successful.
The preservation of the species was very demanding: searching for a new, appropriate location for the sprouts, monitoring the plants almost daily, cooperating with landscaping associations, documenting the progress in detail.
KfW Stiftung is supporting the project of the Botanical Garden for the conservation of 14 further endangered seed-bearing plants. The successful resettlement of Veronica acinifolia sets an example for the conservation of endangered species even in critical situations when common measures of preservation have failed.