Donaumoos-Zweckverband

What Donaumoos-Zweckverband does

Donaumoos-Zweckverband is a public law corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) established in 1991 in Karlshuld, Bavaria, to coordinate the holistic rehabilitation and sustainable development of the Donaumoos — the largest contiguous low-moor in Southern Germany, covering approximately 18,000 hectares in the Neuburg–Schrobenhausen–Ingolstadt triangle. It functions as a municipal association (Zweckverband) whose members include Bezirk Oberbayern, two Landkreise, eleven municipalities, and four water associations, and it is supervised by the Government of Upper Bavaria. Its core activities span moor protection (groundwater management, rewetting, hydrological modeling), climate and flood protection, biodiversity conservation (notably a European bison/Wisent breeding program at Haus im Moos), and value-chain development via paludiculture — including the MOORuse, ProMoFa, MoorMotive, Bauplatten aus Moorkulturen, StabiLand, and MachMoorPapier research projects targeting automotive fiber composites, paper/packaging, and construction materials.

The organization's technology stack centers on groundwater management infrastructure (weirs, water control systems across 470 km of historic drainage ditches), water-balance and hydrological modeling in partnership with Wasserwirtschaftsamt Ingolstadt, and applied R&D on peat-free fiber products from wetland plants. Communication is multi-channel: a website, a bimonthly Donaumoos-Post newsletter (20+ issues since November 2022), YouTube video series, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, printed flyers, public info nights, field excursions, and a mobile exhibition. There is no public or partner-facing API.

Donaumoos-Zweckverband does not operate on a commercial pricing model. It is funded through Bavarian state government ministries (Environment and Consumer Protection; Food, Agriculture, Forests and Tourism), the Stiftung Bayerischer Naturschutzfonds, federal programs such as the Aktionsprogramm Natürlicher Klimaschutz, member-municipality contributions, and project-based research grants. Services such as eco-compensation management and landowner support are delivered as grants rather than commercial offerings. Go-to-market is community- and government-led: structured outreach to municipalities, voluntary landowner participation, public dialogue sessions, and statutory supervision by Bezirk Oberbayern.

Name

Donaumoos-Zweckverband

Legal name

Donaumoos-Zweckverband

Website

https://donaumoos-zweckverband.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Donaumoos-Zweckverband is a Bavarian public-law municipal association (Zweckverband), founded in 1991 and headquartered in Karlshuld, coordinating moor protection, rewetting, and paludiculture value-chain development across the 18,000-hectare Donaumoos for member municipalities, districts, and the Bavarian state government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Peatland Conservation and Restoration Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADALAF

Forestry, Land Use & REDD+ Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Climate, Environment & Sustainable Development Programs

SECONDARYIMAMAJAM

Community Forestry & Indigenous Land Stewardship Services

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Paper & Forest Products/Forest Management, Reforestation & Carbon Forestry Services

SECONDARYAFAMAKAH

Timberland Carbon & Natural Capital Project Development (Offsets/REDD+)

Agriculture & Food Production/Forestry & Logging/Timberland Management Services

Keywords

• Moor conservation
• Peatland restoration
• Paludiculture research
• Groundwater management
• Environmental education

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlshuld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Government Grants: Primary funding through Bavarian state government ministries (Ministry for Environment and Consumer Protection, Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forests and Tourism), the Stiftung Bayerischer Naturschutzfonds, and federal climate protection programs. Project-based funding for moor restoration, research, and development activities.
2. Membership Fees: Contributions from member municipalities and districts including Bezirk Oberbayern, Landkreis Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, Landkreis Aichach-Friedberg, and various member communities.
3. Ökoflächenmanagement Services: Compensation area management services for developers and companies needing environmental offset credits. The organization manages conservation areas and assumes offset obligations for project developers.
4. Research and Development Projects: Third-party funded research projects developing products from peatland cultivation including fiber materials for industry, construction materials, and paper products. Projects like ProMoFa (approx. 700,000 EUR) funded by Bavarian Agriculture Ministry.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Donaumoos-Zweckverband is the statutory coordinating public-law body for holistic rehabilitation, climate protection, and sustainable development of the Donaumoos low-moor region in Bavaria. It delivers moor protection services, groundwater management, paludiculture research, value chain development for peat-fiber products, environmental education, and stakeholder coordination across an 18,000-hectare area through its Karlshuld headquarters and member municipalities.

Product overview

Donaumoos-Zweckverband operates as a public authority organization (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) focused on holistic moor protection and sustainable development of the Donaumoos, Germany's largest low-moor in southern Bavaria. Rather than a traditional product company, it functions as a project coordination and research organization. Its portfolio consists of multiple research and development projects targeting sustainable moor agriculture value chains, including: MOORuse for moor utilization research, ProMoFa for moor fiber products targeting paper/packaging industries, MoorMotive for automotive fiber composites, Bauplatten aus Moorkulturen for construction materials, StabiLand for land stabilization, and MachMoorPapier for paper production. Additional offerings include informational publications such as the Donaumoos-Post newsletter, video content series, and flyers covering moor protection topics, biodiversity, wisent conservation, and regional value chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MOORuse Project (Sustainable Moor Utilization Research)

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,900 hectares of peatland under management for climate protection
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Regierung von Oberbayern (Government of Upper Bavaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupervisory authority and source of Donaumoos-Team staff. Provides inter-agency coordination and expert personnel for moor management and conservation planning.
• Wasserwirtschaftsamt Ingolstadt (Water Management Authority Ingolstadt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical authority responsible for hydrological modeling, groundwater monitoring, and potential area analysis for moor protection measures. Provides essential data for planning restoration activities.
• Amt für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten Ingolstadt-PfaffenhofencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural authority providing farming advice, agricultural consulting for landowners, and staff member for the Donaumoos-Team to support transition to paludiculture.
• Amt für Ländliche Entwicklung SchwabenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural development authority providing support for land consolidation, voluntary land exchange, and land management reorganization in support of moor conservation.
• Haus im Moos - Environmental Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental education facility in Kleinhohenried hosting exhibitions, accommodations, open-air museum, bison enclosure, experience trails, and moor biotopes. Co-location of Wisentgehege breeding program.
• Fibers365 GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman company in Lenningen (Baden-Württemberg) specializing in plant fiber processing from paludiculture. Provided insights into fiber production processes during informational visit for value chain development.
• Moorforschungszentrum Weihenstephan-TriesdorfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoor research center providing scientific expertise on moor ecology, climate protection significance of peatlands, and vegetation ecology through expert lectures and consultations.
• Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt - Auen-InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity institute providing expertise on low-moors, wetland ecology, and landscape geography. Contributed expert lectures on moor formation, biodiversity, and conservation challenges.
• Klimabüro CO2-regiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate office with which the Zweckverband signed cooperation agreement for enhanced coordination on climate protection projects.
• Bayerischer Bauernverband (Bavarian Farmers Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural interest group represented in the Fachbeirat advisory committee, providing perspective of farming community on moor conservation measures.
• Interessengemeinschaft Unser DonaumoosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterest group representing stakeholder perspectives, newly added to the Fachbeirat advisory committee for enhanced community voice in decision-making.
• Wasserverbände Donaumoos (Water Associations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour water management associations as founding members managing drainage infrastructure and water levels throughout the Donaumoos region.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Wetlands International: Global not-for-profit dedicated to wetland conservation and wise use, including peatland rewetting and policy advocacy. Comparable as a peatland/wetland conservation entity, but international and advocacy-focused rather than a regional land-management body.

Broad incumbents

• Bund Naturschutz in Bayern e.V. (BN): Largest Bavarian nature and environmental protection association, active in habitat conservation, species protection, and policy advocacy across Bavaria. Comparable as a broader Bavarian environmental organization but operates statewide and across many habitats rather than specializing in moor restoration.
• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Germany's largest nature conservation association, with significant peatland and wetland programs and federal-level policy advocacy. Comparable as a national environmental organization with peatland-relevant work, but broader in scope than the Zweckverband's Donaumoos-specific mandate.
• Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN): Federal agency for nature conservation providing scientific basis, policy advice, and program funding (including moor/climate programs) for nature protection across Germany. Comparable as a major funder/policy actor in moor protection but operates at national level rather than managing a specific region.

Direct peers

• Niedersächsische Moorstiftung: Lower Saxony's state-level moor foundation driving peatland protection, rewetting, and paludiculture across northwest Germany. Directly comparable to Donaumoos-Zweckverband as a regionally anchored moor foundation doing conservation, restoration, and value-chain work on degraded peatlands.
• Greifswald Mire Centre (DUENE e.V.): Joint center of the University of Greifswald and DUENE e.V. focused on mire/peatland research, conservation policy, and rewetting practice in Northern Germany. Highly comparable to Donaumoos-Zweckverband as a peatland-specific organization blending science, policy, and on-the-ground restoration, though more research-oriented.
• Succow Stiftung (Michael Succow Stiftung): German foundation dedicated to peatland and mire protection across Central and Eastern Europe, including land acquisition, rewetting, and paludiculture value-chain work. Directly comparable to Donaumoos-Zweckverband as a similarly mission-driven peatland conservation entity coordinating multiple sites and value chains.

Others

• Fibers365 GmbH: Baden-Württemberg-based company specializing in plant fiber processing from paludiculture, listed as a partner of Donaumoos-Zweckverband. Comparable as a paludiculture value-chain enabler transforming rewetted peatland biomass into industrial fiber inputs, but operating commercially rather than as a conservation authority.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJw7mtnHl7VquWPs-Nalmhg/playlists
• Facebookfacebook.com/donaumoos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/donaumoos-zweckverband
• Instagraminstagram.com/donaumoos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Donaumoos-Zweckverband