Ewe with lamb in the Oderbruch by Silva Wischeropp

I captured this heart-warming, adorable moment between a mother ewe and her lamb as they grazed in the Oderbruch, in the Märkisch-Oderland region. The photograph was taken on 3 June 2021 in the late evening using my NIKON D90 camera (lens: NIKKOR 18.0–70.0 mm f/3.5–4.5).

In landscape conservation, sheep grazing helps to keep open spaces open, which would otherwise become overgrown with scrub over time as a result of natural succession and develop into woodland. Through appropriately adapted grazing management, dry grasslands, wet meadows, fens, heathland, orchid meadows, fallow land and their adjacent biotopes – with their rare animal and plant species and animal communities – can thus be preserved.

As a result of mosaic-like grazing, a landscape emerges that consists of areas at different stages of succession, thereby breaking down the strict separation between forest and open-country biotopes.
Furthermore, existing copses, as well as remnants of woodland and deadwood, create a great diversity of structure within the landscape, which provides ecological niches and thus supports high species diversity.
This promotes both endangered plants (e.g. certain orchid and gentian species) and pioneer species. The insect fauna also benefits from this.

In particular, for the conservation of heathland and nutrient-poor grasslands, undemanding sheep breeds are used as four-legged landscape managers. Sheep have a broader forage diet than cattle and cause less trampling, which protects the vegetation cover.
In general, rotational grazing with appropriate fencing is preferable to fixed-site grazing, as this allows sensitive areas to be specifically excluded and prevents overgrazing. This form of grazing, which is important for nature conservation, requires a significant investment of human, time and financial resources.