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BOKU Research Units: Institute of Soil Bioengineering and Landscape Construction

Abstract: The Danube Island, built between 1972 and 1988, is approx. 21 km long and is an artificial island between the Danube and the New Danube in the urban area of Vienna and Klosterneuburg. It is part of Vienna's flood protection system and, together with the Old and New Danube, also serves as a recreational area in the Vienna Danube region. Approximately 2 million trees and 170 ha were planted as forest for the greening. Today, the Danube Island is also a nature reserve with rare species of birds, amphibians and fish.
Currently, the presence of invasive species is low in terms of area, but small-scale neophyte populations were encountered during a joint visit. If the invasive species continue to expand, native species can be displaced in a very short time and the habitats of native flora and fauna will be altered. As a consequence, the resilience of native ecosystems is also reduced. In general, control measures are associated with a considerable expenditure of resources and are not effective as a single measure. In order to prevent the further spread of invasive species on the Danube Island and to control existing populations in the long term, different measures are to be tested for their efficiency within the framework of a project.

Keywords: Nature conservation; Soil bioengineering;; Danube island; soil bioengineering; invasive plants;