Research

Springs and spring brooks are sensitive special ecological sites and biodiversity hotspots. However, these habitats are highly endangered by anthropogenic influences and many of the spring specialists are on the Red List of endangered species. The reasons for the threat are manifold: backfilling, enclosures, groundwater abstraction, overgrazing, cattle trampling and increased organic pollution. As part of this project, two impaired spring systems are to be restored to a near-natural state and the typical spring communities re-established. The planned implementation measures include the construction of a buffer zone around the spring area (pasture fence), the introduction of dead wood along the upper reaches of the spring stream and the partial cessation of riverbank management. Continuous monitoring of two indicator groups - stoneflies and caddisflies - serves to verify the effect of the measures. The interested public is involved in the project through local information campaigns and public relations work. In dialogue with scientific experts, a supra-regionally applicable action guide on the topic of spring protection and renaturation is also being developed, which will make a decisive contribution to the long-term improvement of this endangered habitat.

The project "Dialogue Agriculture & Water" is a project of national and supra-regional importance that contributes to the achievement of national environmental protection goals and is intended to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the Austrian Biodiversity Strategy 2030+ and the regional strategy "My Region. My Value" strategy. The overall goal of this project is to make agricultural use compatible with nature and water protection and to create and maintain an appreciative dialog. We want to approach this goal by creating a communication and possibly even cooperation platform between interest groups and stakeholders from the agricultural sector (chambers, farmers) as well as from science (water ecology, hydrology) and environmental and nature conservation (NGOs), which is specifically dedicated to the focus "water". The aim of this cooperation is to jointly discuss and analyze current areas of conflict in the field of agriculture and water protection, and at the same time to identify possible solutions.

The ProtectFish initiative takes a comprehensive approach to protecting endangered river fish species in the European Union (EU). One measure in the project is a detailed assessment of cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) populations, examining their distribution and population trends. A further aim is to investigate the effects of cormorant predation on grayling (Thymallus thymallus) and other river fish species and to generate important data on population dynamics and conservation status. Comprehensive data collection and analysis will be carried out to better understand the effects of predation on river ecosystems and specific fish populations. Experimental measures to reduce predation will be tested in large- and small-scale field studies. The aim of these experiments is to determine the effectiveness of different measures to reduce predation rates and improve the health of fish populations. The research also examines natural habitat characteristics that provide protection from predators.