Biodiversity and alpine pastures
Abstract
Alpine pastures are important elements of the Central European landscape. In the annexes of the FFH directive, species and habitat types are listed, which depend on grazing. For decades, there has been a trend for abandoning alpine pastures mainly because of forestation and economic inefficiency of alpine farming. The majority of abandoned alpine pastures are so called “Hochalmen” (high alpine pastures) located above timberline. The returning wolves pose a serious challenge for alpine pasture farming, since livestock (particularly sheep) on alpine pastures are relatively easy prey for wolves. Representatives of the farmers therefore claim that the return of the wolves may accelerate the trend for abandoning alpine pastures. This leads to the following questions: (1) How is the return of the wolves influencing the motivation to abandon alpine pastures? (2) Which FFH species and habitat types depend on alpine grazing and alpine pasture farming? (3) How is altering the management of alpine pastures affecting FFH species and habitat types? (4) If grazing is ceased, what would be alternative measures for preserving these FFH species and habitat types? Regarding the first question about the motivation of abandoning alpine pastures the development of the alpine pasture farming existing statistics will be complemented by recent data from the INVEKOS database. In addition, qualitative interviews will give insights into the motives of farmers to keep alpine pastures or to abandon them. To assess the quantitative significance of alpine pastures for FFH species and habitat types, spatial data of FFH habitat types – wherever available – will be spatially joined with areas of alpine pastures using GIS analysis.
keywords pasture FFH directive
Publikationen
Project staff
Monika Kriechbaum
Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Monika Kriechbaum
monika.kriechbaum@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-83411
Project Leader
01.10.2017 - 30.09.2018
Margit Seiberl
Dipl.-Ing. Margit Seiberl
margit.seiberl@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-83417
Project Staff
01.10.2017 - 30.09.2018
Bernhard Splechtna
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Bernhard Splechtna
bernhard.splechtna@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-83417
Project Staff
01.10.2017 - 30.09.2018