Diary of the
WILDNIS

June 30: Cessation of forestry use in the area

Discovery of two globally unknown species of spring snails

July 25: Opening of the Kalkalpen National Park

First documented evidence of lynx

Proof of otter: dead find on the Hengst Pass

Discovery of the Klara giant cave at Sengsengebirge with the largest stalactite in the Northern Alps

March 30: The first lynx photo of male lynx "Klaus" is taken with a photo trap

Discovery of native brown trout stocks.

Surveys show evidence of a total of 37 hectares of primeval forest.

Detection of 916 vascular plant species according to the natural area inventory

Rediscovery of the cave ground beetle(Actaphaenops muellneri) in the Rettenbach Cave, first recorded in 1970. The beetle is photographed and filmed alive for the first time.

August 12 - 13: Flood of the century; 30 kilometers of forest roads were destroyed

August 13 - 15: 14-hectare forest fire at Hagler on the south side of the Sengsengebirgs

May 25: First brown bear photos are taken in the Sengsengebirge. Just on the way to the Bärenriedlau, a hiker came across the brown bear and captured the brief moment of the encounter on camera. The bear from the former Ötscher-Hochschwab bear core area has crossed into the Kalkalpen National Park via the Liezen district. A DNA analysis of the animal was carried out on the basis of hairs.

72% of the national park area is forest wilderness - no more silvicultural measures take place here. The proportion of deadwood in the national park has increased by 4.4 solid cubic meters per hectare since 1995 and is around 21 solid cubic meters per hectare in 2005.

Another snowy winter with avalanches of the century. Between December 2005 and April 2006, 569 cm of snow fell on the Hengstpass.

19 January: With gusts of wind with wind speeds of just over 200 km/h, hurricane "Kyrill" brings 36,000 solid meters of windthrow to the national park. More than 20,000 trees were uprooted or torn down, three quarters of which were spruce trees.

July 13: Breeding evidence of the wallcreeper in the rocky region of the Hoher Nock. Among the rock-dwelling species, the wallcreeper has adapted most perfectly to this extreme habitat. The wallcreeper is the only bird species in the Kalkalpen National Park that lives in the rocky region all year round.

To reduce motorized traffic, a third of the forest roads have been closed since 1997.

Storms Paula (28 January) and Emma (1 March) caused 16,000 solid cubic meters of windthrow and a lot of deadwood in the national park

Evidence of over 1,600 butterfly species - nowhere else in Austria are so many butterflies known

February 24: Extremely snowy winter. Huge avalanches of dust thunder down from the northern flanks of the Sengsen Mountains

After a warm summer, bark beetles infest 20,000 solid meters of standing spruce in the forest wilderness area. The proportion of deadwood increases to 15.5 solid meters per hectare by the end of the year

June: First record of the primeval forest relict scarlet beetle(Cucujus cinnaberinus). Zoologist Andreas Eckelt (University of Innsbruck), who specializes in deadwood beetles, found the secretive beetle in two primeval forest in the Kalkalpen National Park. This is only the third record for Austria in the montane forest stage, otherwise the species is only found in some of the last remaining riparian forests. Due to its high level of endangerment, the scarlet beetle has a high protection status under the European Union's Nature Conservation Directive.

On May 9, the young female lynx "Freia" and on December 13, the male lynx "Juro" will be relocated from Switzerland to the national park.

May: First lynx offspring in 150 years. Lynx "Freia" gives birth to three lynx cubs.

July: Discovery of the rare green goblin moss, an important European treasure.

September: 520-year-old beech tree discovered in the Hintergebirge.

"The oldest beech tree found in the Kalkalpen National Park is 520 years old, according to a tree ring analysis carried out by Gianluca Piovesan, professor at the University of Tuscia. The deciduous tree found in the Geislucke in the Hintergebirge is probably the oldest of its kind in the Alps according to the current state of research.

March 25: In winter temperatures, lynx "Kora" was released in the Reichraminger Hintergebirge in the Rabenbach area.

Criminal trial and final conviction of two poachers for the deliberate shooting of lynx B7 and lynx "Juro"

Detection of 26 primeval forest relict beetle species in the Kalkalpen National Park

March 17: Release of the lynx pair "Aira" and "Juri" in the national park. The LUKA working group has agreed that for every illegal removal of a lynx, an animal will be replaced. The male lynx Juri and lynx cat Aira were actually intended for the lynx population support project in the Palatinate Forest (Germany). As the project was delayed there, Swiss colleagues offered to relocate the lynxes to the Kalkalpen National Park .

The ancient beech forests in the Kalkalpen National Park become Austria's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beech forests are Europe's original wilderness. The majority of Europe's primeval forests have been cut down over the centuries, and even the remaining remnants are not very natural due to human use. The protection of Europe's last primeval beech forests is of great importance for the rich biodiversity associated with them. The beech forests in the Kalkalpen National Park and the Dürrenstein-Lassingtal Wilderness Area are Austria's first and so far only UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are therefore part of the irreplaceable natural heritage for the whole of humanity.

Four breeding pairs of golden eagles have been recorded in the national park.

Lynx "Luzi" leads a cub

Evidence of the red-necked dusky beetle(Phryganophilus ruficollis), the only confirmed population in the Alpine region and one of the rarest beetle species in Europe

546-year-old beech was discovered in a primeval forest area in the Sengsengebirge . Its first available age rings can therefore be dated back to 1474, making it the oldest known beech in the Alpine region. Like the well-known beech in the central Hintergebirge, the newly discovered ancient beech is not a primeval forest giant. With a diameter of 73 centimetres at breast height, the tree is of average size. Even with a tree height of less than 20 meters and a torn crown, no height records are broken.

Confirmation of 570 wood-dwelling beetle species or beetle species dependent on living and dead wood.

July: Heavy rainfall almost completely sweeps away the remains of the former Sitzenbachklause in the Hintergebirge.

Exceptionally old fir tree with an age of 407 years was discovered in the Zwielauf in the Sengsengebirge . Only very few fir trees over 400 years old are known in Europe.

After an absence of 35 years, a large population of the golden fritillary butterfly has been discovered again.

First record of the tree dormouse(Dryomys nitedula), a species within the dormouse family, which is listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive (EU). Tree dormice are considered to be extremely secretive forest dwellers and are therefore very rarely observed.

The proportion of deadwood in the National Park Forest has more than doubled since 1995 from 16 to 34 solid cubic meters per hectare.

10 December: Male lynx "Norik", who comes from a breeding program in the wild cat village of Hütscheroda in Germany, is relocated to the national park. Detection of five adult lynx in the area (three males, two females);

First record of the Southern Alps grasshopper (Chorthippus eisentrauti) on the south side of the Sengsengebirge. An endemic species that is more widespread on the southern edge of the Alps, but only occurs on a very small scale in the Northern Limestone Alps as an ice age relict and has so far only been confirmed at a few locations.

First discovery of the previously unknown, endemic stonefly species Dictyogenus weigandi

September: Mediterranean low "Anett" brought enormous amounts of rain. Around 400 liters of precipitation per square meter was recorded at the measuring stations. The previous precipitation record of approx. 300 liters per square meter from 2002 was exceeded. A large part of the precipitation fell from the sky as snow in the mountains and saved the entire region from major flooding. From 1400 meters above sea level, the fresh snow piled up over a meter high. Many of the leafy trees could not withstand the heavy snow load and collapsed. Massive snowfall occurred in the forests in the Haslersgatter and Langfirst areas.

Remarkable new discovery of dragonfly species: The Southern Blue Arrow was found for the first time in the Kalkalpen National Park at around 1,000 meters above sea level.

Rare newcomer to the Kalkalpen National Park: Rock Bunting detected in the National Park for the first time.