As the nights drew in and September 2020 came to an end, the Elbe Habitat Foundation’s ambitious Kirchwerder Lifeline Project was successfully completed. 

Launched with the Elbe Habitat Charity Gala, a fundraising concert organised by the MSC Foundation in Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie hall on the banks of the River Elbe in November 2019, the project’s renaturation works began in July, creating a tidal creek in the foreland near Kirchwerder Sande in front of the Hower main dike. 

A planting campaign completed the project, re-establishing a number of specimens of the endangered hemlock water fennel in the dike foreland near Kirchwerder. The banks of the tidal Elbe between Geesthacht and Cuxhaven are the only place in the world where these endangered species are found and they now benefit from ideal site conditions in the new tidal channel, which also already provides a home for many threatened species native to the Elbe.

Nils Kahn, Managing Director MSC Germany, Dr. Elisabeth Klocke, Executive Director of the Elbe Habitat Foundation and Christian Hein, Managing Director MSC Cruises

With these successes, the Kirchwerder Lifeline Project fully achieved its challenging goals of enhancing the ecological status of the Tidal Elbe, preserving its natural diversity and strengthening the unique habitats of its river landscape.

The MSC Foundation contributed a grant of approximately 250,000 euros - around 20% percent of the total project costs. 
 
Following the final on-site inspection, Dr. Elisabeth Klocke, Chairman of the Elbe Habitat Foundation, emphasised how the partnership not only shows that cooperation between companies like MSC and the EHF is possible but also provides a textbook example, stating: "I would like to thank MSC for this exemplary commitment. I hope that many large Hamburg companies follow your example and take on joint responsibility for the Elbe ecosystem".

Dr. Elisabeth Klocke, Executive Director of the Elbe Habitat Foundation, Christian Hein, Managing Director MSC Cruises and Nils Kahn, Managing Director MSC Germany

Following this very successful collaboration, the MSC Foundation hopes to continue its partnership with the Elbe Habitat Foundation in the future, contributing to the health of one of the world’s great rivers and Hamburg’s beautiful natural landscape.

Read more about the Kirchwerder Lifeline Project here. 

You can read the press release here.