Research

Wild bees and hoverflies provide important ecosystem services as essential pollinators for our cultivated and wild plants. At the same time, flying insects have been in sharp decline in recent decades. Agri-environmental programmes such as ÖPUL are designed to counteract this. The aim of the project is to identify and describe fundamental relationships between ÖPUL measures and biodiversity parameters relating to wild bees and hoverflies. The project is being implemented with the help of data obtained from the wild bee and hoverfly monitoring programme.

The lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) is an orchid species that is protected under Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive and is therefore considered endangered throughout Europe. At the same time, the plant is virtually the flagship species of native orchids. The CypriPlus project aims to investigate the sharp decline of this species in recent decades, particularly in the Vienna Woods Biosphere Reserve and the southern Weinviertel region, by means of site analyses. The investigations include the recording of microclimate data series using sensors, soil samples to detect any mycorrhizal fungi, and pollinator monitoring at selected locations in Austria. The focus is on the greater Vienna area, although some alpine occurrences will also be examined for the above-mentioned parameters. The project team consists of employees of the Austrian Orchid Protection Network (ÖON), BFW, BOKU university and experienced gardeners from botanical gardens in Vienna and The lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) is an orchid species that is protected under Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive and is therefore considered endangered throughout Europe. At the same time, the plant is virtually the flagship species of native orchids. The CypriPlus project aims to investigate the sharp decline of this species in recent decades, particularly in the Vienna Woods Biosphere Reserve and the southern Weinviertel region, by means of site analyses. The investigations include the recording of microclimate data series using sensors, soil samples to detect any mycorrhizal fungi, and pollinator monitoring at selected locations in Austria. The focus is on the greater Vienna area, although some alpine occurrences will also be examined for the above-mentioned parameters. The project team consists of employees of the Austrian Orchid Protection Network (ÖON), the BFW, the BOKU university and experienced gardeners from botanical gardens in Vienna and Carl-Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung. The pollinator monitoring sub-project is based at the Boku. The pollinator monitoring sub-project is based at the Boku.

The aim of the project is to survey hoverflies, together with bees the most important pollinators worldwide, nationwide. This will be the standardised monitoring data for these important headline indicators for the first time in Austria. In addition, the flowering plants visited by the hoverflies are to be plants visited by hoverflies in order to gain knowledge about the pollen and nectar sources of hoverflies. Data on the occurrence and distribution of highly endangered hoverfly species in Europe will also be collected. Overall, the project fills a gap in Austria's biodiversity monitoring, also collects data on species that are highly endangered throughout Europe, and thus represents an important contribution to achieving the goals set out in the national biodiversity strategy. It establishes the headline indicator hoverfly in Austrian biodiversity monitoring.