UNTERSBERG FORELAND LIFE NATURE PROJECT A NATURAL SALZBURG JEWEL BLOSSOMS! 1 PREFACE Only when we look at nature together, can we preserve this treasure in the province of Salzburg. Nature conservation is only successful when working together with citizens and land owners. This is why this Natura 2000 site, The importance of the region I am pleased that the conservation with the new observation tower, becomes particularly clear in the of this valuable landscape is the butterfly educational path and “Land of Butterflies” film. We have successful through the support the hay meadow exhibition is so a natural treasure at our doorstep, of the European Union. important. It offers everyone the which we have to take good care opportunity to come in close con- of. This film shows us before our Your Member of the Regional tact with the various animals and eyes, how diverse our nature can Government plants. At the foot of the Unters- be. The citizens and farmers have Sepp Eisl berg mountain, in the Salzburg newly discovered the importance open-air museum the visitors can of the Untersberg Foreland. experience a cultural treasure, as well as an animal and plant world of European importance. 02 303 THE LAND OF BUTTERFLIES … 2 At the foot of the Untersberg mountain, before the gates of Salzburg lies the Natura 2000 site Untersberg Foreland, a butterfly paradise, where 70 different butterflies are found, some of which are very rare Europe-wide 1 he “star” among them is the Scarce bedding in the stables. Since the Fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) 1 meadows are not fertilized and only Natura 2000 who has one of its last significant mowed once a year in the autumn, habitats here in all of Central they are particularly rich in meadow “Natura 2000” is a European Europe! The butterflies are depen- flowers and insects. Their attractive network of protected areas. dent on the traditional agricultural flowering plants, many of which are With Natura 2000 all European Tcultivated landscape of the Unters- botanical rarities, are also particu- Union member states cooper- berg Foreland. Here, there is still larly pretty to look at. The Salzburg ate to secure the unique Euro- the typical near-natural mosaic of open-air museum also lies in the pean natural heritage for the only extensively used habitats, middle of the Natura 2000 site. upcoming generations. from forests with structural-rich forest edges to species-rich hay meadows 2.The grass cuttings of these hay meadows are used as 04 … WAS IN GREAT DANGER 3 45 But there were problems in the Land of Butterflies: Some hay meadows were abandoned years ago because the laborious scythe mowing was not productive for the farmers anymore. The tractors could not be used on the wet meadows which could not bear the load. Woods began to overgrow the mead- less and less suitable ash-rich forest ows 3 and threatened the butter- edges and clearings needed for living What is LIFE? fly’s habitat. In addition, the still space and walking passages. High existing meadows and forest bio- time to do something! LIFE is a European Union topes were often separated from subsidy program to co-finance each other by spruce forests 4 and Therefore in 2006, a European nature conservation projects monotone intensely used grassland Union co-sponsored LIFE Nature in the NATURA 2000 sites. 5, so that butterflies from different project was started with the goal parts of the area found it ever more of preserving the various species difficult to find common ground. and habitats of the Untersberg The genetic exchange and therefore Foreland. The local farmers and the the long-term survival of the species citizens should also be made more were in danger. The Scarce Fritillary aware of the value and the worthi- was particularly affected which found ness of the Nature 2000 site 05 THE LIFE MEASURES IN OVERVIEW I Three and a half kilometers of I Two hectares of grassland were I Numerous small ponds to be forest edges were reshaped in such purchased and regeneration into a used as spawning pools were laid a way that they could be used as species-rich wet meadow was out for the Yellow-bellied toad. habitat for the Scarce Fritillary. initiated. I There are new guided tour offers I Six hectares of hay meadows and I The maintenance of 20 hectares for school classes about “Butterflies fens were restored and saved from of hay meadows was optimized and Hay Meadows” at the open-air being overgrown. together with the farmers for the museum. I A special “mowing-mobile” for butterflies and plants present there. I The film “Land of Butterflies” the maintenance of particularly wet I A “butterfly path”, an “obser- was produced in professional hay meadows was acquired. vation tower” and a “hay meadow quality and is continually shown I Typical hay meadow plants were exhibition” were established for in the open-air museum. bred and then planted in the area. the visitors of the Salzburg open-air I Various public relations and museum. conscious-shaping information 06 NEW FOREST EDGES FOR THE SCARCE FRITILLARY 12 3.5 km of monotone forest edges were reshaped into new habitats for the Scarce Fritillary. were provided (flyers, brochures, For this purpose spruce groups were posters) and numerous excursions removed and young ashes were and informational meetings were newly planted in suitable locations held for farmers, other interested (southeast facing, damp grounds). people and students. By doing so innumerable forest edge I The project website bays 1 were developed thus creating www.untersberg-vorland.at humid microclimates important for supplies background knowledge the Scarce Fritillary caterpillar 2. Groves about the Natura 2000 site and Young ashes current information about the Forest edge LIFE project. Sketch of an ideal www.untersberg-vorland.at Scarce Fritillary Habitat © Landschaft + Plan 07 INSTEAD OF SHRUBS MULTICOLORED HAY MEADOWS AGAIN 1 At the beginning of the LIFE project many former hay meadows had already nearly disappeared. After many years the abandoned land was heavily overgrown with bushes and trees and the tufts of the hay meadow grasses formed half meter high mounds and the so-called “Bulte” developed. Mowing the meadows with normal the meadows were cleared with light-needy plants, such as the equipment, at the time was not a € 300,000 mowing-crawler 1. insect-eating sundew spread once possible. One could hardly cross The extremely robust mowing again. In this way over six hectares these areas by foot. In order to attachment had its European pre- of hay meadows were restored and achieve hay meadows that could miere in the Untersberg Foreland! thus secured the butterfly’s habitat be mowed, a lot of effort had to Step by step real hay meadows for the future! be put into “initial care”. developed again. Now they can be mowed by farmers again, who in First the trees and shrubs were re- return are offered special subsidies. moved - partly by hand, partly with the help of a power saw and partly A further desired effect of the with special machines. Afterwards, maintaining strategies was that 08 A MOWING MOBILE FOR “DIFFICULT MEADOWS” 2 Some particularly wet hay meadows could not be cultivated with normal agricultural equipment even after the LIFE “initial care”. Tractors and self-loading bale trailers would have sunk into the soft ground. Also the previous scythes mowing technique cannot be expected to be done today by anyone. Thus an alternative had to be found. the soil pressure is comparatively areas in Salzburg for example in After a long search and critical ex- low. the Natura 2000 site Weidmoos. pertise by experts and field workers Within the framework of a school one finally found the ideal equip- Purchasing the mowing mobile wit- project Großgmain students created ment: hin the LIFE project insures that af- a colorful-bright design for the ter the conclusion of the LIFE pro- mowing mobile. The mowing mobile 2, developed ject further maintenance of the by the inventor Peter Estner from “difficult hay meadows” will be Großgmain, can complete mowing continued. The farmers can rent the and loading in one operational step. mowing mobile for a reasonable The delicate meadows must be price. Meanwhile, the mowing mo- driven on much less. Furthermore, bile is also used in other protected 09 NEW FLOWERS FOR THE UNTERSBERG FORELAND 1 2 nder the leadership of the Univer- exhibition in the Salzburg open-air sity of Salzburg Botanical Gardens museum, in order to be able to pre- seeds from typical hay meadow sent the typical hay meadow plants plants in the Natura 2000 site were there. collected and 1,500 pot plants were cultivated 1. The reproduction pro- Uject took place in cooperation with the HALM Biotope Nature Conser- vation Group. Some of the plants were planted on the purchased two hectares grassland 2 – as a “star- ting-help” for regeneration into a species-rich damp meadow. Another part was used in the hay meadow 10 NATURE EXPERIENCE IN THE SALZBURG OPEN-AIR MUSEUM 5 3 4 The Salzburg open-air museum with its excellent infrastructure offers the ideal conditions for many people to come in closer contact to the Natura 2000 site without harming nature. In close cooperation with the mu- vated landscape of the open-air meadow flowers during the seum management the new nature museum and at the same time a changes of the seasons. These experience facilities were established look into the Scarce Fritillary’s habi- three attractions are complemented around the so-called “Sillweiher” tat. Climate measuring instruments by the new guided tours for school (pond).