About Naturschutz heute

Naturschutz heute

Naturschutz heute is the quarterly member magazine of the NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) e. V. — the nationwide membership magazine of Germany's oldest and largest nature-conservation organization. Published from Charitéstraße 3 in 10117 Berlin under editor-in-chief Helge May, it appears as a printed edition quarterly at the start of the four seasons — each time on the first Friday of March, June, September, and December — with an IVW-audited print run of 517,000 copies in the first quarter of 2026 (516,151 distributed, of which 512,959 member pieces). For members the printed edition is included in the annual contribution; the online edition is free even for non-members. With the ISSN 0934-8883 and a 52-page national core edition plus the state associations' regional supplements, the magazine is Germany's largest-circulation nature magazine: the NABU's house journal, read by more than half a million members, donors, and subscribers. In the German environmental press, Naturschutz heute is the conservation movement's voice: the quarterly of the home nature — the protection projects, the nature experiences, and the environmentally friendly everyday.

Overview

The magazine presents itself as the nationwide NABU member magazine — the quarterly that reports on the home nature, introduces the conservation projects, and gives tips for the nature experience and for the environmentally friendly everyday. Its editorial program covers the NABU's full spectrum: the conservation work — the species protection, the habitat protection, the project reports; the nature experience — the birds, the insects, the seasons, the observation tips; the policy — the environmental legislation, the EU nature directives, the NABU's positions; and the association life — the local groups, the youth organization (NAJU), the members' activities.

The readership is the NABU's half-million-strong community: the members (512,959 member pieces), the donors, and the subscribers — with 99 percent of distribution as individual postal delivery. The magazine's authority rests on the NABU's conservation expertise: founded in 1899, the NABU is with 660,000 members and supporters one of Germany's largest environmental organizations. The media data documents the reach: the Bundesrepublik as the distribution area, foreign circulation under 1,000 copies, partial editions by Nielsen areas.

The quarterly rhythm — four issues a year at the seasons' starts — provides the conservation calendar: the spring issue with the breeding season, the summer with the insects, the autumn with the migration, the winter with the garden. The 52-page core edition (Heftformat 210 × 297 mm, printed by Mohn Media Mohndruck in Gütersloh on recycled Steinbeis paper) is supplemented in most federal states by the regional sections produced by the NABU state associations: the Baden-Württemberg regional pages, the Berlin "Natur in Berlin," the Hamburg quarterly "Naturschutz in Hamburg," and eleven others — the local diversity of the nationwide magazine.

History

Naturschutz heute's history is the history of the NABU's member communication. The NABU — founded in 1899 as the Bund für Vogelschutz — has published member information for decades; Naturschutz heute is the current form: the quarterly member magazine that the association's Berlin headquarters produces for its nationwide membership. The magazine's editorial office sits in the NABU's federal headquarters at Charitéstraße 3 in Berlin-Mitte: the editor-in-chief Helge May (Chefredaktion), with Nicole Flöper and Lisa Gebhard in the editorial team (Naturschutz.heute@NABU.de, 030-284984-1958).

The magazine's recent history reflects the NABU's growth: the association has grown to 660,000 members and supporters, and the magazine's circulation has followed — the IVW-audited print run of 517,000 in Q1 2026 documents the member magazine's scale. The technical production has been handled by Territory GmbH in Hamburg (Großer Burstah 31, 20457 Hamburg); the advertising by Runze & Casper Werbeagentur in Berlin. The magazine's digital extension — the NABU-Magazin app for iPhone and iPad with the print edition's enrichments (background information, additional images and videos) — added the mobile channel.

The magazine's 2026 program — the March issue (1/26), the June issue (2/26), the September issue (3/26) with the focus "Weniger Licht für mehr Insekten bei Nacht" (less light for more insects at night), the December issue (4/26) — shows the editorial calendar: the seasonal topics, the conservation campaigns, the member information.

Coverage and Content

The magazine's coverage follows the NABU member's year. Conservation work forms the core: the species-protection projects — the birds, the insects, the amphibians; the habitat reports — the moors, the meadows, the forests; and the campaign stories — the NABU's national and European initiatives. Nature experience provides the personal dimension: the observation tips, the seasonal phenomena, the garden advice (the winterproof garden), and the excursion destinations — the tips for the nature experience that the magazine promises.

Policy covers the environmental politics: the legislation, the EU directives (the restoration regulation), the NABU's positions — the association's political voice in the member magazine. Association life documents the community: the local groups' activities, the NAJU youth work (the interview with the NAJU teamers), the member events — the social network that the NABU's membership page celebrates.

The regional supplements — produced by the state associations and usually available as PDF online — add the local dimension: the Baden-Württemberg regional pages, the Bavarian partner LBV's independent "Vogelschutz," the Hamburg quarterly, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern "Naturschutz MV" — the federal diversity within the nationwide magazine.

Organization and Ownership

Naturschutz heute is published by the NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) e. V. in Berlin (10108 Berlin; house address Charitéstraße 3, 10117 Berlin; 030-284984-0; NABU@NABU.de) — the nature-conservation association founded in 1899. The publisher (Herausgeber): the NABU. The editor-in-chief (Chefredaktion): Helge May. The editorial team: Nicole Flöper, Lisa Gebhard (Naturschutz.heute@NABU.de). The technical production (Verlag, technische Umsetzung): Territory GmbH, Hamburg. The advertising: Runze & Casper Werbeagentur GmbH, Berlin. The printing: Mohn Media Mohndruck GmbH, Gütersloh. The magazine's ISSN 0934-8883 and its IVW membership document its established position.

The commercial model is that of an association member magazine: the printed edition is included in the members' annual contribution (512,959 member pieces), advertising from the environmentally oriented industries (Anzeigenpreisliste Nr. 38 since January 2026) — and the online edition free for all. The 52-page core edition's advertising formats follow the magazine's media data: the full-page, the half-page, and the special formats.

Digital Presence

The magazine's digital home is the NABU's magazine pages at nabu.de, where the quarterly print magazine's program extends into the online member information. The portal offers the magazine's information and contacts, the media data, the regional editions' PDFs, and the online edition — free for non-members too. The NABU-Magazin app (iPhone/iPad) provides the print edition's digital enrichments: the background information, the additional images and videos.

The NABU's digital networks — the nabu.de portal, the newsletters, the social channels — form the ecosystem in which the magazine's content circulates. For the association's half-million members — from the 1899 founding to the 660,000 members and supporters of today — Naturschutz heute is the quarterly of the home nature: the Berlin member magazine of the German nature-conservation movement.

The Member Magazine's Reach

The magazine's reach — the IVW-audited 517,000 print run, the 512,959 member pieces, the 99 percent individual postal delivery — makes it one of Germany's largest magazines by circulation: the member magazine that reaches more households than most newsstand titles. The media data's advertising program (Anzeigenpreisliste Nr. 38) documents the commercial side: the environmentally oriented advertisers who reach the NABU's half-million members through the quarterly. The magazine's printing on recycled Steinbeis paper (Silk 60 g/qm content, Select 130 g/qm cover) embodies the association's environmental standards: the conservation magazine printed on the recycled paper, every quarter.