Implementation measure at the Lendspitz

In the course of the last years E.C.O. realized a lot of preparatory work and accompanied a number of projects at the Natura 2000 site “Lendspitz-Maiernigg”. Besides several events and seminars of the MSc. programme “Management of Protected Areas”, there are currently two ongoing projects, one supported by the municipality of Klagenfurt and the other supported by the department for environmental protection of the Federal State Government of Carinthia. These projects realized by E.C.O. constitute the project “City meets Nature” (Kreimer & Jungmeier 2012).

On the area of the former campground in Maiernigg there is a long-term experimental site to monitor the impact of regular mowing on the species composition and structure of wetland meadows. Actually, there is also an abandoned, formerly very species-rich, litter meadow. This meadow should be recultivated step by step and regular mowing being re-established. However, due to the presence of several rootstocks in the area and the fact that the area is very uneven, the current condition of the area does not allow any mowing. In the course of several expert discussions, the preparation of the area with a bucket-digger was considered an option. In the mid of May there finally was a test run for this option. In the course of the pilot action large tussocks were removed and integrated into the ground to even the area.