In the case of projects and plans that lead to impairment of nature and landscape - such as road construction projects - the polluter is obliged to take compensatory and replacement measures or to pay compensation.

The "eco-account" regulations are part of the Nature Conservation Act of the State of Saxony-Anhalt.

The principle of the eco-account system is that

• compensatory and replacement measures are already taken in anticipation of investments and are later recognised as compensation, even without a specific reason,
• investors who do not take compensatory and substitution measures themselves take over the financing of measures that are recorded in the eco-account, and
• Compensatory and replacement measures do not have to be spatially related to the intervention, unless special regulations on species protection, biotope protection or coherence (if areas protected under EU law are affected) must be observed.

The lower nature conservation authorities at the districts and independent cities manage the eco-account. They shall verify, confirm and register measures relating to the eco-account and keep a register of the areas designated for compensatory and replacement measures and the areas on which measures have been carried out for an eco-account.

No measures will be recognized retroactively.

Providers of measures can register in the eco-account. They are brought together with so-called buyers - i.e. investors who do not carry out their own compensatory and replacement measures.

The specialist authority for nature conservation, the State Office for Environmental Protection, maintains a complete list of these areas for the state of Saxony-Anhalt.