Germany is turning 62 military bases into wildlife sanctuaries
They were once military bases at the centre of 50 years of Cold War between the world’s two superpowers: the Democratic West vs. the Communist East. 
But these symbols of war will soon become a haven for rare birds and other animals, like rare eagles and woodpeckers and threatened bats and beetles.
The German government has announced plans to convert 62 military bases into nature reserves to create vast new green oases for animals to live in. The German army is currently being restructured, from a Cold War defensive force into a 21st century institution that is prepared to counter new threats. In the process, it is creating smaller and greener bases in favour of a more efficient and mobile organization.
Together the 62 disused military bases will form 31,000 hectares of forests, marshes, meadows and more – that’s equivalent to 40,000 football pitches! The conversion will see Germany’s total area of protected wildlife increase by a quarter. Many of these sites will be open to public as well. 
The government initially thought of selling the land off as real estate but decided to make a grand environmental gesture instead by creating natural refuges. Said the country’s Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks,
“We are seizing a historic opportunity with this conversion – many areas that were once no-go zones are no longer needed for military purposes. We are fortunate that we can now give these places back to nature.”
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