Research

The project aims to develop a practical “climate check” that provides agricultural businesses with a solid basis for decision-making to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is intended to derive suitable indicators from existing farm data so that the emissions situation can be clearly assessed. A benchmarking system will be used to make farm-specific reduction potentials visible and translate them into concrete action recommendations. A digital catalog of measures will form the basis for strategies tailored to the conditions of each individual farm. To ensure the instrument is usable and effective in practice, the climate check will be tested on 30 selected farms. The findings from this pilot phase will feed into the development of a guide for both farmers and agricultural advisors, enabling a standardized yet farm-specific process for identifying measures and providing appropriate advice. In this way, the project will create a tool that supports the implementation of effective mitigation measures and allows it to be used across Austria by different advisory organizations.

General ChatBotSonar Pro English translation: From the perspective of affected farmers, milk production faces multiple challenges. Economic viability and the workload of farms are problems, while animal health, performance, and sustainability are also expected to improve. Digital assistance systems (e.g., activity, rumination, temperature, location, or rumen sensors; networked milking/feeding technology) promise early detection, better decision-making, and reduced workload. In practice, however, their actual usefulness often falls short of expectations: the systems are purchased, initial use begins—and later is reduced or discontinued. Common reasons cited in practice are not primarily the “function” of the devices/software, but rather the human-technology interaction: unclear data flows, lacking data literacy, alarm overload, insufficient integration into work routines, unsuitable interfaces, unclear cost-benefit relationships, support and training needs, and questions about data ownership/cloud solutions. Research-oriented contributions show, however, that, when properly integrated, sensor technology can improve animal welfare, animal health, and efficiency while reducing workload. For Austrian dairy farms, structured handling of data is central: herd-management inputs, milk recording data, and 24/7 sensor data generate large amounts of information that must be selected, checked for plausibility, and transferred into decision-making routines. This does not always succeed: either available data are used too little—or the focus on “dashboards” displaces direct observation of the animals. Practical reports also point to open issues regarding digital infrastructure (connectivity), data sovereignty, and role definitions between farmers, veterinarians, and advisory services. Austrian institutions (e.g., Vetmeduni, HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein) are working on application-oriented solutions and communication, including smart farming, AI applications, and the use of sensors. This leads to a clear need for practice-oriented concepts that clarify technology, work organization, decision rules, and roles—and that support implementation on farms. The present project addresses these practical needs.

Aiming for the reconciliation of nature and human development Biosphere Reserves (BR) have to fulfill multiple functions for which effective governance would be needed. However, there are indications that many BRs face severe governance challenges, and little is known about the governance models currently in place. REGO aims to provide actionable knowledge on how existing novel governance formats BR could be developed to help BRs fulfil their multiple functions. Researchers will work closely together with the Austrian BRs and the Swiss BR Engiadina Val Müstair (EVM). First, academic literature is reviewed to create an analytical framework for feasible BR governance. Second, a comparative case study will be conducted between all Austrian BRs plus EVM. Document analysis, expert interviews, and an analysis of the legal context will be carried out to provide detailed descriptions of governance models in case study BRs. This includes strengths and weaknesses and crucial governance challenges. Third, based on the findings of the comparative case study, a co-creative workshop will be organized with researchers and case-study BRs. The aim is to explore how the BRs can learn from each other in order to refine their governance models, and to create recommendations for higher-level decision-makers (e.g., UNESCO MAB). Recommendations will be checked for legal ramifications to ensure their feasibility. Finally, the learnings will be put into practice by establishing two 'living labs' in the BR Großes Walsertal and EVM. Each BR will select governance challenges that are highly relevant. Novel governance formats will be co-developed with researchers, and evaluation criteria will be defined. Then governance formats will be tested and evaluated. Findings of REGO will help create a better understanding of the types of governance models needed to reconcile nature conservation and regional development and support BRs in refining their governance to meet UNESCO goals.