These were the Black Forest CleanUP Days 2025

PATRON Recap

ACHIEVED TOGETHER.

Black Forest CleanUP Days 2025.

25 April - 04 May 2025.

2,680 participants.

1,150 kilometres.

126 routes.

You were part of it? Thanks for your contribution!

Donate to protect the environment.

THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION.

donate now.

pictures

say more than 1,000 words.

Thank you, Black Forest, for making a difference together again this year. Step by step & hand in hand towards #plasticfreepeaks.

Partners & sponsors of the PATRON Black Forest CleanUP Days 2025

The Black Forest CleanUP Days and the Impact Days were supported by the Merrell Fund, the Franco-German Citizens‘ Fund and other partners from the outdoor industry such as Icebreaker, Kathmandu and EVOC Sports. The Franco-German Citizens’ Fund advises, networks and finances projects that bring Franco-German friendship and Europe to life for the general public. It supports a wide range of formats and topics, is low-threshold and open to all stakeholders in civil society. The Citizens' Fund goes back to the Treaty of Aachen concluded between Germany and France in 2019 and was established in April 2020. It is implemented by the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) and is financed in equal parts by the German and French governments.

Free nature from litter

anytime & anywhere.

How to CleanUP

How do the PATRON CleanUP Days work? Where and how can you register? And how does it work on site?

So many questions. Just as many answers.

Basically: Anyone can take part in the PATRON CleanUP Tour & of course it's free, because every action counts!

To the CleanUP guide

10 PATRON GUIDelines

To enable you to give something back to Mother Nature, we provide you with tips for a nature-friendly stay and a safe CleanUP in the great outdoors.

We have developed the 10 key ideas for a PATRON CleanUP together with our partners from the Albrecht von Dewitz Foundation and outdooractive.

To the CleanUP guidelines

CONSCIOUS.WILD

Respectful in nature

Does your CleanUP route also run through your living room?

Imagine coming home after a long day, wanting to relax – and someone is happily walking through your living room, singing loudly. This is exactly how wild animals feel about our visits to their habitat.

The initiative bewusstWild invites you to discover the fascinating world of wild animals and shows how you can do great things for their protection with small gestures.

The enthusiasm for outdoor adventures is growing – and that's wonderful! Whether hiking, biking or ski touring, we enjoy nature to the full. At the same time, we can ensure that wild animals feel just as comfortable with a few simple steps.

1. Stay on the paths – for a relaxed coexistence
Animals feel safe when they can size us up. As long as you stay on paths or marked routes, wild animals know that you pose no danger. This way, they can continue to live their lives while you enjoy nature.
1. Seize the day – and let the animals seize the night
Many wild animals have adapted their rhythm to us: they rest during the day and become active at night. By planning your adventures for the daytime, you give them the opportunity to search for food and recharge their batteries in peace.
1. Plan your tour respectfully of the wildlife
While you are planning, you can find out where the protected areas are and which routes are best. Some route-planning apps (e.g. Outdooractive, Komoot etc.) allow you to select certain layers so that the protected areas and related information are displayed. Here are a few practical links for planning your tour in the Black Forest:
- www.touren-bw.de
- udo.lubw.baden-wuerttemberg.de
Spring & summer: The time of the partner search and rearing of young is a sensitive time in nature. Respectful behaviour helps animal families to grow up undisturbed.
The badger – a true master builder

Badgers design their home with great skill! Their sett has several rooms: a cosy sleeping area, a separate area for hygiene and even a room for heating. Some buildings are used for generations.

The lynx – a master of the senses

Lynxes are true jumping wonders and can jump up to seven metres! Their excellent hearing enables them to perceive even quiet sounds from a great distance.

The capercaillie – a true survivor

The capercaillie masters every season with clever adaptations! In summer, it enjoys a wide range of food including grasses, leaves and berries such as bilberries, cloudberries and cranberries. In autumn, its diet includes late-ripening berries, juniper berries, rowan berries, rose hips and even acorns. But the biggest challenge comes in winter: the capercaillie now feeds almost exclusively on fir and spruce needles, which are difficult to digest. To help break these down, the capercaillie has stomach stones (‘grit’), and the food is stored in the crop, where it is slowly digested overnight. A fascinating strategy for surviving even in the most barren of times!
The Black Forest CleanUP Days combine nature conservation and community – a great opportunity to act for a clean environment and a wildlife habitat worth living in.

Share your experiences on Instagram or Facebook and tag @bewusstwild! They would love to see your posts! What impressed you the most?

Together for a vibrant natural world – join us!

#bewusstWild #patroncleanuptour #CleanUP #Schwarzwald #Naturschutz #WildtiereSchützen

CO-OPERATING FOR ONE GOAL

Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH (STG), based in Freiburg, is the tourist 'umbrella' for the strong and enormously diverse region. STG is so enthusiastic about the Black Forest CleanUP Days that it also acted as 'patron' in 2025. Thanks to the good and close cooperation, it is probably possible that the Black Forest CleanUP Days could become perhaps the largest collective CleanUP event in Germany!

About Black Forest Tourism

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The Black Forest is the largest contiguous forest area in Germany. To find out more about this magical place, the forest, we met up with Andreas Schäfer, forester for the city of Freiburg, and asked him a few questions. He talks about one of the biggest challenges facing the forest, climate change, the need for harmony between recreationists, land managers, sportspeople and nature and how the issue of waste is dealt with. After all, where there are lots of people out and about, there are also trash hotspots. To counteract this, organised litter collection campaigns take place time and again.