Photo by H. VOIGT

The raised bog Großer Kranichsee in the Ore Mountains in Saxony near the border to the Czech Republic.

Originally Central Europe consisted of natural woodlands, bogs and fens, natural standing and running waters, costal habitats, sand dunes, rocky habitats including caves etc. Due to intense land use (agriculture, settlement, industry and traffic) most of these natural habitats disappeared and only few residual near-natural habitats can be found now. In the Council Directive of the European Community on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Annex I) natural habitat types such as raised bogs are declared as priority habitat types.