Wienerwald Biosphere Reserve report about Purkersdorf

Diversity in Purkersdorf

In 2022, the Wienerwald Biosphere Reserve published a municipal report on Purkersdorf in german. This provides a good overview of the natural data of our municipality. It also highlights the special nature conservation features of meadows, forests and bodies of water as well as plant and animal species in the area. 

The most important protection and conservation objectives in Purkersdorf can be summarized as follows: 

• Conservation and maintenance of different types of meadows and of extensively managed meadows.
• Use of only sections of flower-rich meadows, leaving unmown sections as refuge and feeding areas for meadow-breeding birds, reptiles and insects.
• Continued management of moor grass meadows (molinion) stands in the Baunzen area and along the A1 motorway through regular landscape conservation work.
• Gentle development and targeted management of adapted landscape-based recreational use and promotion of sustainable forms of agriculture.
• Protection and maintenance of the few old orchards and replanting of fruit trees with a focus on old varieties and standard trees.
• Preservation and development of structured forest edge transitions, e.g. through the preservation and replanting of streamside shrubs, hedges, field shrubs, rows of trees or individual bushes. Forest edges have important ecological functions in forest ecosystems (especially for bird life).
• Protect of forest meadows from afforestation, as these meadows have a high structural diversity and are relevant for the protection of amphibians and reptiles.
• Improvement of commercial forestry by leaving deadwood in the stand with a focus on strong standing deadwood. Establishing a composition of tree species typical of the site through natural regeneration, increasing the average age of trees for bird and bat protection. Leaving islands of old wood (especially for cave-dwelling species) and targeted preservation of eyrie and cave trees.
• Revitalisation of watercourses and their ecosystems, such as black alder, ash and willow floodplains, and creation of retention areas in the sense of ecological flood protection (e.g. as a habitat for stone crayfish, fire salamanders, bullheads and spring damselflies).
• Protection of wetland habitats as reproduction and feeding habitats for amphibians such as the yellow-bellied toad. Due to the very small number of small bodies of water in the municipality, such secondary habitats should also be created.
• Reduce of the spread of invasive neophytes such as the tree of heaven, black locust tree, goldenrod, knotweed, giant hogweed, bluebell tree, etc. and raise awareness among citizens accordingly.

You can download the report in german as a PDF version using the button below.

Biosphärenpark Wienerwald - Gemeindebericht (in German)