ABSTRACT
Restoration of disturbed land and water has a long tradition in the former West Germany. Even with the construction of the first Autobahnen, ecological factors in the existing landscape were taken into consideration and special seed mixtures were chosen for seeding the highway embankments. The technique of using plants as living “building materials” is widely respected. Restoration efforts were directed primarily towards the installment of usable agricultural land, the creation of timber stands, and large-scale recreation parks. The guaranteed farming subsidies for cash crops make it attractive to produce large crop surpluses independent of market prices. This encourages high agricultural land turnover and heavy fertilization. The analysis of ecosystems that are associated with extinct and threatened vascular plants is in accordance with the national inventories of habitats needing protection. Certain rare habitat types are associated with significant numbers of extinct and threatened species.
