National parks of Austria

In Austria there are seven national parks, six of which are recognized by the IUCN. The oldest Austrian National Park is the Hohe Tauern National Park, which was established in 1981. The common concept of national parks called National Parks Austria.

National Park development

Initial plans to go back to the years 1915-18, when the club Stuttgart Natural Park and the Austrian Alpine Club Salzburg, Carinthia and Tyrol later, suitable land acquired. A draft of the Hohe Tauern National Park in the late 1930s but petered out because of the war. A common national park in the mountains decided the three provinces of Salzburg, Tyrol and Carinthia 1971 in Heiligenblut Agreement. She initiated similar plans in Lower and Upper Austria.

The interior of the Austrian national parks each took several years to complete, thus Austria in an international comparison in midfield. In one third of the world's established national parks, the duration is more than 20 years because of conflicts.

With the new National Park strategy of June 2010, the national parks in Austria present under the common concept of National Parks Austria.

Financing and meaning

The financing of the national parks is carried out to 50 % by the federal government and the respective state or the country (for the cross-border national parks). Overall, the national parks offer 300 jobs ( green jobs ).

But the National Park visitor centers reported 400,000 visitors annually, making them among the more important lines of business tourism in Austria. With 74,000 visits of students and 2000 guided excursions / walks national parks stay on top of their educational mission to a significant extent.

Survey

Four national parks protect mountain regions ( Hohe Tauern, Gesäuse, Nock and Limestone Alps ) and three national parks waters ( Lake Neusiedl - Seewinkel, Thaya Valley and Donauauen ).

The Hohe Tauern National Park is the oldest and largest national park in Austria, with around 1836 km ² also the largest national park in Central Europe.

The National Parks Thaya Valley and Lake Neusiedl are cross-border protected areas.

List of national parks in Austria

Former national parks and projects

The Nock Mountains National Park, established in 1987, has been classified by the World Conservation Union IUCN not in the IUCN Category II National Park, but as a protected landscape ( category V). Therefore, it has been integrated by 2012 in a biosphere reserve, where he is a part of the core zone.

Also the Tyrolean Lech Valley was at times for the establishment of a national park in discussion. However, the Tyrolean provincial government decided in 2004 to the establishment of a nature park.

With the National Park Strategy 2010 has been announced for the - national - yet inadequately protected March-Thaya -Auen (Natura 2000 sites under the co- management of the EU, as such, are also Landesrecvhtliche category) to strive for the establishment of a national park.

Wilderness areas in Austria

During National Park IUCN Category II are subject to National Park, areas of severe IUCN category I are designated as wilderness areas. In Austria there are those only a 3,500 -hectare area, ie the Dürrenstein Wilderness Area in Lower Austria, which is directly adjacent to the Styria.