Pilot project "Meadow breeding birds"

Pilot project improves habitat of threatened bird species

Munich Airport is part of the 4,525 hectare European bird protection area, the "Northern Erdinger Moos": one of the most important habitats for meadow breeders in Bavaria. For more effective protection of such threatened bird species as the Eurasian curlew or northern lapwing, even outside the airport, Munich Airport has launched a pilot project to protect meadow breeders with expert support from the Bavarian Environment Ministry. The goal is to continue protecting and improving the habitat of the birds around the airport.

The Bavarian economics minister Ulrike Scharf comments: "Biodiversity is under pressure. The protection of endangered species poses challenges for all parts of society. Seven of the nine meadow breeder species in Bavaria are endangered, two of them critically. The
meadow breeder project at the airport is an important contribution to the protection of our domestic fauna."

Under the pilot project, safeguards and protective measures will be developed and tested on up to 50 hectares of agricultural land over the next five years. These will include nest protection, less intensive farming, a mowing schedule to meet the needs of meadow breeders,
fencing for protection against predators, and the negotiation of ecological land leases with appropriate restrictions on farming. The goal of the pilot project is to combine protection of meadow breeders in the area of Munich Airport with pragmatic, suitably adapted and economically viable farming. Conservation and farming should not be mutually exclusive, but rather should complement one another in the form of ecologically responsible land use.

Seven of the nine meadow breeder species in Bavaria are endangered.

Ulrike Scharf

Bavarian economics minister

A Habitat for skylark, Eurasian curlew and many more

The sparse airport meadows provide a suitable breeding ground for lapwings. In 2025, 98 pairs of lapwings were counted on the airport meadows, where they were raising their young. In Bavaria, the species is critically endangered. (Bavarian Red List: Level 2)
With its consistently high annual population of breeding pairs of curlews, the Munich Airport grounds have for years been one of the most important breeding areas for this bird species in Bavaria. In 2014, just 58 breeding pairs were counted on the airport meadows, while in 2025, as many as 94 breeding pairs were recorded. Throughout Bavaria, there are now just under 500 breeding pairs of this species. For this reason, the Eurasian curlew is listed on Bavaria’s Red List as critically endangered (Level 1).
The skylark is a species of open agricultural landscapes and nests on the ground. Fast-growing crops resulting from intensive agricultural practices make fields unattractive as breeding grounds for the skylark. As a result, the skylark population in Bavaria has now had to be classified as endangered (Bavarian Red List: Level 3). However, relatively large populations exist on the nutrient-poor airport meadows, with over 243 breeding pairs (as of 2025).