City meets Nature: Habitat design for moor frogs and co. in the Natura 2000 site Lendspitz-Maiernigg

Associated persons Susanne Glatz-Jorde, Lukas Köstenberger, Elisabeth Wiegele
Clients REWE Foundation Blühendes Österreich, City of Klagenfurt and Federal State of Carinthia
Regions Austria
Year 2020

The cooperation project aims to implement some of the measures proposed in the Area Management Plan (Glatz-Jorde et al., 2015) in the Klagenfurt Natura 2000 site. These measures serve to conserve and improve the habitats of numerous rare species listed in the Habitats Directive, such as the Balkan moor frog, the Desmoulin's whorl snail, the dice snake, the European bitterling as well as breeding birds and reed-dwelling species. A total of seven measures are to be implemented by 2022.

E.C.O. Institute of Ecology is responsible for the overall concept, part of the implementation and the monitoring of the measures to improve the ecology of 6 ha of land in a sustainable way.

By erecting spacers and reed fences on 200 m of shoreline, the reed belt is to be protected in the long term from being entered and disturbed as well as from wave action, so that the breeding birds can continue to find an appropriate habitat. Accompanying measures to raise awareness are implemented with the help of area rangers. A good conservation status is to be restored on three hectares of moor grass meadows. For this purpose, bushes will be removed from peripheral areas and parts of the meadows will be mowed again.

For the protected species Balkan moor frog and large white-faced darter (https://www.arge-naturschutz.at/projekte/tiere/grosse-moosjungfer/) and various protected migratory bird species (e.g. various duck species, great white heron), two additional fish-free and sunny amphibian spawning waters will be created in the Lendspitz area. These will then also provide an accessible learning space for excursions for the Educational Lab of the adjacent Lakeside Park, where scientific knowledge transfer is offered in numerous formats. Furthermore, a pilot experiment for the reintroduction and reproduction of the European bitterling with symbiotic bivalves in a small water body will be carried out. A corresponding control of success and monitoring will be carried out. The 2013 World Rowing Champion, Michaela Taupe-Traer, could be won as ambassador for this high-profile project.