PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The project is focused on unique ecosystems within Austria’s Natura 2000 site, “Neusiedler See - Nordöstliches Leithagebirge” (AT1110137), which is home to one of the largest continuous inland salt regions in Central Europe.
The site features the priority habitat “Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes (1530*)” in all its natural forms, spanning 3,676 hectares, with over 80% located within the Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park. The project will directly affect 1,258 hectares.
Over the past 160 years, the number of soda lakes has dropped from 139 to 48 (a decrease of 66%), and the water surface has shrunk from 3,614 to 656 hectares (a decrease of 82%). The current conservation status of the 1530* habitat is “unfavourable – bad”, both in terms of its overall status and future prospects.
This habitat type is significantly affected by the extreme summer temperatures and dryness characteristic of the Pannonian climate. The soil’s salt content is a result of high groundwater evaporation during the summer. These habitats are partly natural and partly the result of cattle grazing. The halophytic vegetation includes plant communities found on dry salt pans and periodically flooded salt lakes.
The Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes (1530*) habitat type is of particular conservation interest in Europe due to its unique nature, rarity, and the threat it faces as isolated occurrences. This endangered habitat can still be found in Eastern Austria, near Lake Neusiedl, specifically within the Natura 2000 site “Neusiedler See – Nordöstliches Leithagebirge”. In the past decades, however, it has been increasingly lost due to degradation.
The degradation and breakdown in the intricate life cycle of salt habitats are primarily due to a decrease in groundwater levels. This impedes the salination processes and leads to further, often irreversible, degradation. The large-scale drainage for agriculture and settlements, along with groundwater abstraction for agricultural irrigation, have resulted in lower groundwater levels.
In some soda lake basins, dense clusters of Reed (Phragmites australis) have formed as a consequence of degradation, reduced salt content, and lack of grazing. The management and elimination of reed beds is a crucial step in the restoration of salt marshes and soda lakes. These issues have resulted in an unfavourable conservation status for the priority habitat 1530*.
Once the degradation process crosses a certain threshold, restoration becomes unfeasible, leading to the permanent loss of Pannonian soda lakes, salt marshes, and salt steppes.
The project primarily targets the “Seewinkel-Hauptkanal” or “Seewinkel main channel”, a drainage construction that significantly affects soda lakes, salt marshes, and alkaline steppes by reducing the groundwater level. It also flushes saline water from the region by providing a constant outflow to a system of originally endorheic basins.
By addressing the issue at its source, the project aims to improve the conservation status of the salt habitats.
OBJECTIVES
The project’s objective is to improve the conservation status of salt habitats through the following measures:
- Conducting large-scale modeling and planning for future groundwater management.
- Investigating water-efficient agricultural crops adapted to climatic conditions and assessing their economic viability.
- Carrying out practical trials and evaluation of alternative crops and irrigation systems.
- Installing weirs in drainage ditches to retain water and thereby raise groundwater levels.
- Enhancing groundwater recharge and the groundwater level to benefit the ecology of the salt habitats.
- Constructing a groundwater barrier to protect the cellars of a nearby settlement as a prerequisite.
- Developing an operational water regulation system based on ecological and technical aspects.
- Protecting isolated salt lakes and habitats in agricultural land.
- Restoring salt habitats by removing invasive alien species, reed, trees, and implementing ecological setup measures.
- Reducing water consumption through region-specific agricultural management that is adapted to local needs and accepted locally.
- Improving information dissemination and awareness among the region’s residents and visitors to the National Park.
- Sharing the project’s results and activities with target stakeholders, including farmers’ organizations and nature conservationists.
- Collaborating with national parks in neighboring Hungary.
- Establishing an expert group focused on the 1530* habitat.
To ensure the project’s results and initiate further work in the long term, a framework for future water management and water-saving agriculture will be developed and demonstrated. Sustainable success will be achieved by involving residents and relevant stakeholders.
Awareness-raising activities, workshops, guidance, and cooperation at local, regional, and international levels will ensure the project’s success AFTER LIFE.
RESULTS
The following results are expected at the end of the project:
- Installing 8 weirs - 5 new weirs and adaptation of 3 exciting weirs - over a length of 13 km in the drainage ditches for water retention. Water retention is an essential factor for the conservation of habitat 1530*,
- Initial reconstruction and overhaul of 4 km of the Seewinkel main channel,
- Construction of a 3.300 m long drainage system to protect the settlement area of Apetlon of raising groundwater level,
- One-off compensation of 16 ha of re-wetted agricultural parcels due to raising groundwater level,
- Positive impact on the groundwater situation in an area of about 1.200 ha in the main area of 1530* habitats,
- At least 142 ha will be permanently secured for nature conservation purposes,
- Restoration work for habitat 1530* on 103 ha by removal of alien plants, reduction of reed, restoration of microtopography, removal of humus layer,
- Three international expert workshops to transfer knowledge and promote capacity building,
- Five fieldtrips for international experts/study groups,
- Four open access scientific articles will be published,
- 100 media clippings, >20 podcasts and videos,
- 15 professional video footages of biographic interviews,
- 12 information boards and info material,
- >35 visits by local people, specific stakeholder groups and delegations,
- Three local info-events
