Editing Franconia (section)

=== Forests, reserves, flora and fauna ===
[[File:Steinerne Rinne.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Steinerne Rinne]] near Rohrbach, [[Ettenstatt]], county of [[Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen]]]]
Franconia's flora is dominated by deciduous and coniferous forests. Natural forests in Franconia occur mainly in the ranges of the Spessart, Franconian Forest, Odenwald and Steigerwald. The Nuremberg ''Reichswald'' is another great [[forest]], located within the metropolitan region of Nuremberg. Other large areas of forest in the region are the [[Mönchswald]], the [[Reichsforst (Fichtel)|Reichsforst]] in the Fichtel Mountains and the [[Selb Forest]]. In the river valleys along the Main and Tauber, the countryside was developed for viticulture. In Spessart there are great oak forests. Also widespread are [[calcareous grassland]]s, extensively used [[pasture]]s on very [[Nutrient (plant)|oligotrophic]], poor sites. In particular, the southern [[Franconian Jura]], with the [[Altmühl Valley]], is characterized by poor grassland of this type. Many of these places have been designated as a [[protected area]]s.

Franconia has several regions with sandy habitats that are unique for south Germany and are protected as the so-called Sand Belt of Franconia or ''[[Sandachse Franken]]''.<ref>[http://www.sandachse.de/Sandwege.html ''Sandwege''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629134219/http://www.sandachse.de/Sandwege.html |date=2016-06-29 }}, Sandachse Franken, retrieved 23 May 2014</ref> When the [[Altmühlsee]] reservoir was built, a bird island was created and designated as a nature reserve where a variety of birds nest. Another important reserve is the [[Black Moor (Rhön)|Black Moor]] in the [[Rhön]], which is one of the most important bog areas in Central Europe.<ref>[http://www.frankentourismus.de/naturpark/bayerische-rhoen/ ''Naturpark Bayerische Rhön''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729003235/http://www.frankentourismus.de/naturpark/bayerische-rhoen/ |date=2016-07-29 }}, retrieved 2 Jun 2014.</ref> A well known reserve is the [[Luisenburg Rock Labyrinth]] at [[Wunsiedel]], a [[felsenmeer]] of [[granite]] blocks up to several metres across. The establishment of the first Franconian [[national park]] in the Steigerwald caused controversy and its designation was rejected in July 2011 by the [[Bavarian government]].<ref name="natur"/> The reason was the negative attitude of local population. Conservationists are now demanding protection for parts of the Steigerwald by nominating it for a World Heritage Site.<ref name="natur">{{cite web |url=http://www.br.de/studio-franken/aktuelles-aus-franken/steigerwald-nationalpark-bund-naturschutz-ID1309161778345.xml |title=www.br-online.de: Bund Naturschutz zu Steigerwald – "Imagegewinn durch Nationalpark" |access-date=2017-03-29 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721023358/http://www.br.de/studio-franken/aktuelles-aus-franken/steigerwald-nationalpark-bund-naturschutz-ID1309161778345.xml |archive-date=July 21, 2012 }} Press report on the rejected Steigerwald National Park at BR-online, Studio-Franken</ref> There are several [[nature park]]s in Franconia, including the [[Altmühl Valley Nature Park]], which, since 1969, has been one of the largest in Germany.<ref>[http://www.naturpark-altmuehltal.de/wir_ueber_uns/ ''Wir über uns''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703120912/http://www.naturpark-altmuehltal.de/wir_ueber_uns/ |date=2016-07-03 }}, www.naturpark.de, retrieved 28 May 2014.</ref>

Other [[nature park]]s are the [[Swabian-Franconian Forest Nature Park]] in Baden-Württemberg, and the nature parks of [[Bavarian Rhön Nature Park|Bavarian Rhön]], [[Fichtel Mountain Nature Park|Fichtel Mountains]], [[Franconian Heights Nature Park|Franconian Heights]], [[Franconian Forest Nature Park|Franconian Forest]], [[Franconian Switzerland-Franconian Jura Nature Park|Franconian Switzerland-Franconian Jura]], [[Haßberge Nature Park|Haßberge]], [[Spessart Nature Park|Spessart]] and [[Steigerwald Nature Park|Steigerwald]] in Bavaria, as well as the [[Bergstraße-Odenwald Nature Park]] which straddles Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. Nature parks cover almost half the area of Franconia.<ref>[http://www.frankentourismus.de/naturpark/ ''Naturparks in Franken''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730235534/http://www.frankentourismus.de/naturpark/ |date=2016-07-30 }}, retrieved 2 June 2014.</ref>

In 1991 [[UNESCO]] recognised the Rhön as a [[Biosphärenreservat Rhön|biosphere reserve]].<ref>[https://www.stmuv.bayern.de/umwelt/naturschutz/bio_rhoen/index.htm ''Biosphärenreservat Rhön''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419220559/http://www.stmuv.bayern.de/umwelt/naturschutz/bio_rhoen/index.htm |date=2016-04-19 }}, Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz, retrieved 28 May 2014.</ref> Among the most picturesque geotopes in Bavaria, are the Franconian sites of ''[[Fossa Carolina]]'', the Twelve Apostle Rocks (''Zwölf-Apostel-Felsen''), the [[Ehrenbürg]], the cave ruins of [[Riesenburg (cave)|Riesenburg]] and the lake of [[Frickenhäuser See]].<ref>[https://www.lfu.bayern.de/geologie/geotope_schoensten/index.htm ''Bayerns schönste Geotope''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729083419/http://www.lfu.bayern.de/geologie/geotope_schoensten/index.htm |date=2016-07-29 }}, Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz, retrieved 28 May 2014.</ref> The [[European Bird Reserve]]s in Franconia are found mainly in uplands like the Steigerwald, in large forests like Nuremberg's Imperial Forest or along rivers like the Altmühl.<ref name="abc">[https://www.vogev.bayern.de/Mittelfranken/map/m10000.html Karte der Vogelschutzgebiete] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617090136/http://www.vogev.bayern.de/Mittelfranken/map/m10000.html |date=2016-06-17 }}: ''Mittelfranken'', stellvertretend für alle Europäischen Vogelschutzgebieten in Franken</ref> There are also numerous [[Special Areas of Conservation]] and [[protected landscape]]s. In Franconia there are very many [[tufa]]s, raised stream beds near river sources within the [[karst]] landscape that are known as 'stone runnels' (''[[Steinerne Rinne]]n''). There are protected examples at [[Käsrinne|Heidenheim]] and [[Steinerne Rinne (Wolfsbronn)|Wolfsbronn]].

Like large parts of Germany, Franconia only has a few large species of wild animal. Forest dwellers include various species of [[marten]], [[fallow deer]], [[red deer]], [[roe deer]], [[wild boar]] and [[red fox|fox]]. In natural areas such as the Fichtel mountains there are populations of [[European lynx|lynx]] and [[capercaillie]],<ref name = "Fichtel">[http://www.frankentourismus.de/naturpark/fichtelgebirge/ ''Fichtelgebirge Nature Park''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611170601/http://www.frankentourismus.de/naturpark/fichtelgebirge/ |date=2016-06-11 }}, retrieved 2 Jun 2014.</ref> and [[European beaver|beaver]] and [[European otter|otter]] have grown in numbers. There are occasional sightings of animals that had long been extinct in Central Europe, for example, the [[European wolf|wolf]].<ref>[https://www.br.de/themen/wissen/wildtiere-bayern-wolf-wildtier110.html ''Wildlife in Bavaria: The wolf - a Native Bavarian''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422132456/http://www.br.de/themen/wissen/wildtiere-bayern-wolf-wildtier110.html |date=2016-04-22 }}, Bayerischer Rundfunk, retrieved 16 August 2014.</ref>