Environmental protection

For us, protecting nature and biodiversity is a key priority that we take into account at every stage – from planning and construction through to the operation of our facilities. To counteract the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, we act according to the principle of the mitigation hierarchy. Firstly, negative impacts on nature must be avoided as far as possible. Where interventions are unavoidable due to the need for operations and operational safety, measures are taken to mitigate the negative effects. To address any remaining impacts, we provide appropriate compensation areas to offset the interventions in accordance with nature conservation law.

As part of the Fehmarn Belt fixed link, a rail and road tunnel linking Germany and Denmark, DB Group is constructing an about 88 km rail line between Lübeck and Puttgarden. Numerous strictly protected animal species live along the tracks, such as the crested newt, the barn swallow and the partridge. We create legally mandated compensation areas and new habitats for them in order to preserve and sustainably improve their habitats in the region. For example, three spawning ponds for crested newts with a total area of about 450 square meters and two barn swallow houses with artificial nests were installed in the first quarter of 2026.