Photo: BMLFUW/Zeggl
The forest ecosystem
It is crucial to preserve the ecological diversity of Austria’s forests. 39,581 km², or 47.2%, of Austria’s national territory, are covered by forest. Austria has a very large share in the East Alps and it also has a share in the Danube area. Diverse landscapes, climate and vegetations types overlap.
The country is located in the temperate climate zone and shows a transitional character from the temperate west and north west, which is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, to the continental east. The quantity of precipitation shows a marked west-east divide and higher values with increasing altitude.As to landscapes, Austria has high and low mountain areas just as much as hilly land and flatland. Not only as a result of the formation and folding of mountains is Austria’s geology very complex. Austria’s soils developed from limy and acid rock. Soil types are highly diverse.
Adapted to the geological, climate, ground level and soil conditions a diverse forest community has adjusted to the respective sites. And adapted to the forest communities, a rich flora and fauna has developed.
Austria’s forest comprises 93 different forest biotypes. Particularly rare types of forest are wetland forests, which are endangered due to human intervention. Also peat, swamp, or marsh forests represent very sensitive ecosystems whose development required incredibly long periods of time.
Austria’s forests are of prime importance for the preservation and promotion of biodiversity. About half of the Natura 2000 areas registered in Austria (EU protection areas) are forests.
Many species and habitats depend, either directly or indirectly, on the management of the country’s forests. Despite several centuries of human intervention in the forest ecosystem, two thirds of the forest area are categorized as natural, near-natural or semi-natural.
A significant change has been noted in 27 percent of the forest area; only little is classified as artificial. The preservation of this natural heritage of our forests is the objective and task of the Ministry of Life. The term “hemeroby” indicates the degree of human intervention in biotopes, biocoenoses and ecotopes.
For Austria, the Natural Forest Reserves Programme is a crucial contribution to the preservation and improvement of forest biodiversity. Natural forest reserves (NFR) are forest areas destined for the natural development of the forest ecosystem where any direct form of intervention is prohibited. Since 1996 an Austria-wide network of natural forest reserves which is representative of all forest communities and presently comprises 188 reserves with a total area of 8,470 hectares has been set up. It serves to survey basic information for the further development of a forest management which is ecologically oriented and close-to-nature.
There are presently six National Parks in Austria, which are of such great importance in terms of ecological value that separate administrations were established to protect those ecosystems. In many cases National Parks constitute last areas of retreat for animal and plant communities which, without the status of protection of their habitats, would be threatened by extinction. By order of size, the Austrian National Parks are: Hohe Tauern, Kalkalpen (Limestone Alps), Gesäuse, Seewinkel (Neusiedler See/Lake Neusiedl), Donauauen (Danube Wetlands), and Thayatal (Thaya Valley).
Unlike National Parks, nature parks are typical landscapes tended by man which are characterised by their unspoiled state, their natural and cultural highlights as well as by a wide range of opportunities to experience and comprehend nature. There are presently 44 nature parks in Austria, comprising an area of approximately 400,000 hectares. Most nature parks are located in Eastern Austria, in the Federal Provinces of Lower Austria, Styria and Burgenland.
Biosphere reserves (parks) are natural landscapes which, according to UNESCO criteria, are of particular importance to humans and their living environment (biosphere) in terms of their cultural value.
15.02.2008,