Frequently asked questions

There are no plans for commercial use of the water. However, local use will continue to be possible for existing facilities in the national park, such as mountain pastures, forester's lodges and hunting lodges.

The research station at Zöbelboden is an internationally important measuring station and is part of a worldwide system for air quality measurements. All measured data can be viewed online on the Internet.

Five lynx are currently roaming the national park.

In general, the capercaillie population and the respective offspring are subject to strong weather-related fluctuations. A serious comparison is therefore only possible once the results of several years of research are available.

Interventions for roe deer and chamois will be reduced somewhat following the natural reductions caused by harsh winters. Nothing will change for red deer, as the population is too high for natural forest regeneration.

Feeding is necessary for wintering, but it should be borne in mind that the red deer used to spend the winter in the floodplain areas. Even without feeding, the red deer will not disappear completely from the national park - the population numbers depend on the outside feeding areas and the respective snow conditions. Excessive numbers of deer inhibit the natural development of the forest, which is why feeding has been reduced in the national park.

The burnt area will only be able to recover in the very long term - up to 500 years is estimated. The very dynamic transformation set in motion by the fire is being monitored with interest by the national park.

These plants are called "neophytes" and they do indeed exist: the Himalayan balsam and the Japanese knotweed! However, they are - so far - mainly found in the valley area along bodies of water. The alpine altitude level above seems to be able to act as a sufficient barrier. However, the further development is constantly monitored by the National Park planning department.

We have the stone crayfish and the signal crayfish, the latter of which was introduced from North America and is slowly but surely becoming more widespread. The streams of the national park are likely to represent potential and attractive habitats, although colonization is likely to be very sparse. As it has not yet been possible to study this species, no data is available apart from a few sighting reports, so no statements can be made.

This is not an "original trout" but a strain of Danube brown trout that has not been mixed with introduced "Atlantic" species. Its most serious threat, the rainbow trout introduced from America, has been reduced by appropriate measures to such an extent that it should no longer reproduce and thus the possible final displacement has been stopped! The unique thing about this trout is that it already represents a genetic variation that would result in a new subspecies in the distant future (50,000 to 100,000 years?).

Bark beetle control is only carried out on areas where there may be a risk to neighbors - i.e. on approx. 25% of the area. For the remainder, an exemption from the Forest Act was granted, which was also granted to the National Park as the first protected property in Austria! Other measures: Reducing the proportion of spruce in forest stands with too much spruce; this prevents the risk of mass reproduction of the spruce bark beetle; scoring the bark of lying spruce trees to prevent the bark beetle from breeding by drying out the bark and subsequently lifting it off the trunk; spruce trunks are removed for use, and any bark beetle under the bark is destroyed during further processing.

In principle, this idea is very welcome, but mergers across federal state borders are not yet possible due to the legal situation. However, there is already targeted cooperation in various areas of activity, e.g. efforts to merge national parks and other protected areas into one large area, with protected areas performing a so-called "stepping stone function" for the migration of animals.

The question cannot be answered clearly, as the "Red Lists" required for the comparison are or can be regionally or nationally different! However, the catalog of protected goods published in 2007 lists all important animal and plant species and protected goods relevant to this issue and is constantly being expanded in line with the results of the study.

Managed alpine pastures: Anlaufalm, Blahbergalm, Ebenforstalm, Laussabaueralm, Puglalm, Dörflmayralm, Schaumbergalm, Spitzenbergeralm, Kreuzau, Zickerreith
8 other alpine pastures in the National Park: Groißnalm, Weingartalm, Holzgraben (Windhageralm), Mayralm, Mayrreith, Zaglbauernalm, Blumaueralm, Feichtau

As part of forest management, we give the forest an "initial spark" to enable it to develop back into a natural forest. This independent development is called the transformation process. The initial spark can look very different depending on the area and situation: where there are too many spruces, they are heavily thinned out to give other (natural) species the opportunity to regain a foothold. In some cases, "holes" are cut in overaged old stands, which are then filled in again by mixed tree species suited to the site. Many factors influence the result: if there are only spruce trees in the surrounding area, only these will naturally grow back. On the other hand, this means that not only spruce trees have to be cut down, but the remaining stands of other tree species have to be supported in order to prevent the displacement effect - and this in areas that are often difficult to access.

Normally, hunting is trophy-oriented, which means that healthy, strong animals are shot. Nature normally eliminates sick, weak or otherwise unfit animals in the course of selection so that the best and/or most fit for life survive; this can also mean: smart instead of strong - we should intervene here as little as possible so as not to mess with nature! A second aspect is that the involvement of external hunters could lead to greater disturbance due to certain aspects (knowledge of the area, time pressure, etc.). This, in turn, would mean a loss of the effect that our game has become much easier to experience for visitors due to reduced disturbance and even comes out of its cover to graze (again) in broad daylight.

There is no commercial use of the national park forest, and therefore no harvesting! There is only timber removal in the course of the management measure "forest conversion" to near-natural or natural forest. Basically, so much is left in the stand that after the completed measure there are 50 solid cubic meters of deadwood per hectare to create a habitat for deadwood inhabitants similar to primeval forest .

primeval forest is a forest that has not been used or influenced by humans in any way. Treading on it is already a form of use, albeit a mild one, but at any rate an influence. The few real remnants of primeval forest and natural forest stands are only to be found in places where no-one has gone before and where no-one can go now! However, we currently have a huge opportunity to witness the transformation to a near-natural forest and to primeval forest over the next few decades, as many forest stands of the same age have reached the end of their life cycle and are beginning to die off.

The opportunities are greatest at the transitions from one habitat type to another: The mountain pastures allow us to observe the animals that prefer meadows and open spaces as well as to "look into" the adjacent forest - as a "window to the wilderness", so to speak. In any case, patience and expertise are necessary and aimlessly staggering around in the forest will only cause the animals to flee. Silence, immobility, patience and an open eye are all that is needed. It should be noted that professional photos are not simply the result of expensive equipment. Correct behavior and expertise are an absolute must! Our "Experience wild animals" offer has been specially developed for this purpose and can be booked at any time.

Reduced shooting does not necessarily lead to an increase in the animal population - after all, the loss also increases in winter! If the animal population nevertheless increases, the animals will migrate - unless feeding is also increased, which again does not change the habitat supply and immediately exacerbates the browsing situation! Once again, it is clear that not just one factor is essential for changes. Food supply, habitat supply, rearing areas, competitive pressure, enemy pressure are important factors to be considered for migration and dispersal, but not all of them are equally valid everywhere! It should also be borne in mind in this question that only individual (huntable) species are addressed, but an ecosystem comprises many thousands of animal and plant species, which are also important!

Unfortunately, the opposite is true: cyclists are quieter but much faster than hikers. This also makes them much more threatening and less predictable for wild animals, as their high speed triggers an immediate flight reflex (first run, then look) when the supposed danger appears. Pedestrians at low speed allow the game to calmly "analyze the situation" (look, scent) and react "casually" accordingly. In principle, the following applies: people on the path are not dangerous, people on a (fast) bike are difficult to assess, so escape is the order of the day; people next to the path are also difficult to assess because they are potential pursuers. It should be noted that most hikers also quickly feel harassed by bikers because they often require quick reactions when they unexpectedly appear in an environment that was previously perceived as quiet.

Tourism is an important partner of Kalkalpen National Park, but it must be subordinate to the conditions of nature so that the development of a stable ecological balance is not jeopardized or even slowed down. Designated areas must be used for tourism activities in such a way that the surrounding areas are not negatively affected! It is important to provide comprehensive information to both organizers and visitors.

Visitors are given a very good report card when it comes to cleanliness in the national park. Discipline in this area is very good.

There is currently only a ban on entering wetlands and in the vicinity of winter feeding areas. If these bans are violated, it is mainly done carelessly and out of ignorance!

Both cycling and horse riding are not permitted on a short section of the Steyrsteg for safety reasons due to the steeply sloping terrain! This section is therefore a "push route" for cyclists; riders must dismount and lead their animals in this section.

Like many gorges, the Hazel Gorge is a very confined habitat, which means that the animals living in it can only perceive two directions of escape. As these animal species are usually also highly specialized for such habitats, they cannot settle "elsewhere" - if they are constantly disturbed, they migrate over large areas and are thus lost to the species spectrum of the national park. Furthermore, gorges are home to many small, highly sensitive habitats - canyoning, for example, has a catastrophic effect on moss and algae coverings by shearing, grinding and stripping them off over large areas. For an uninformed person, an area that can only be perceived as a small drag mark can mean the total loss of a micro-habitat.