The FFH (Flora-Fauna-Habitat) areas “Oderhänge Mallnow” and “Erweiterung Oderhänge Mallnow” are designated as protected areas with a total of 305 hectars. The nature reserve is located to the north/north-west of the village of Mallnow on a particularly striking steep slope of the East Brandenburg plateau towards the Oder valley. In the center of the distribution of the steppe grasslands on the Oder slopes between Seelow and Frankfurt (Oder), the continental dry grasslands occur here over a particularly large area. They have exceptionally remarkable vegetation and rich fauna. In some places, the abandonment of land use has led to the so-called "Versaumung" of the dry grasslands (i.e. invasion of fringe species into grasslands after the abandonment of grazing or mowing), therefore species of dry-warm fringes dominate the vegetation pattern and increasingly indicate the problem of further development into shrubs of dry-warm sites. Particularly noteworthy is the unique, extensive existence of Adonis-semi-arid grassland areas. In the valleys, the dry slopes are adjoined by extensively used fields with a distinct arable and arable fringe flora. On the valley slopes there are numerous springs and, on the adjoining grassland areas, smaller wet meadow sites. The diversity of the different habitat types has led to a unique community of species, including insects, which in turn forms the basis of the food chain of the native vertebrates found there.