After weighing up various requirements, the city of Wolfsburg has closed the road between Barnstorf and Waldhof completely for the entire Christmas vacations, i.e. up to and including January 5, to protect the fire salamanders that live there. This takes particular account of the fact that the frost line is unlikely to be reached on many of these days and the fire salamanders will therefore still be active due to the moisture that remains in the forest at this time of year.

The evidence of several individuals that have been run over since the vandalism damage underlines the need to take action at this point and ensure the protection of this species. The city points out that the Barnstorfer Wald nature reserve is also a refuge for many other animal species, such as the wildcat, and that the road closure will therefore also benefit these species.

With the first school buses passing through in the new year, the road will be closed again from the afternoon until the morning hours, depending on the weather conditions. Once the barriers have been reinstalled at the end of January, they will once again be closed reliably and in a way that everyone can understand at the times announced.

The barriers installed to protect the fire salamanders in Barnstorfer Wald were so badly damaged in the fall of this year that they are no longer functional. Since then, until the barriers are replaced, a replacement solution involving a great deal of work and volunteer commitment has been maintained in order to safeguard the population of these almost permanently migratory animals.

This effort is being made in particular to accommodate regular bus services and, above all, school traffic. Apart from that, the road connection, which has long been open exclusively to people, is only of very minor importance for proper road traffic.