Waldviertel ponds, peat bogs & floodplains

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Waldviertel ponds, peat bogs & floodplains

  • Country: 
    Austria
  • Site number: 
    1013
  • Area: 
    13,000 ha
  • Designation date: 
    16-12-1999
  • Coordinates: 
    48°45'N 14°58'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

Waldviertel ponds, peat bogs & floodplains (Teich-, Moor- und Flusslandschaft Waldviertel). 22/12/99; NiederÖsterreich; 13,000 ha; 48°46'N 015°59'E. A number of Natura 2000 sites under the EC Birds and Habitats and Species Directives; Important Bird Area. Situated in the southeasternmost part of the central European mountain region; contains a number of small and large riverine, peat bog, and pond wetlands. Crucial to the area's water regime, the Lainsitz is a common river connecting to the Czech Republic's Ramsar sites Trebon fishponds and Trebon peatlands (the 'Lusnice' river in Czech) with high commercial value since the 13th century. Peat was extracted for fuel for the glass industry until the end of the 19th century, but no longer. Hunting is common in all parts of the site. The site enjoys high species diversity, especially in plants, dragonflies, amphibians, and birds, with rare species like the mammals Lutra lutra and Micromys minutus, mussels Margaritifera margaritifera and Unio crassus, and the crustacean Astacus astacus. The rivers and ponds perform valuable functions in flood control and water retention and serve as a hydrological buffer zone. Ownership is very mixed, partly publicly-owned by local and national entities and partly owned by small, large, and very large private landowners. Many parts of the Ramsar site have management plans implemented under an EU LIFE project by WWF-Austria, and ongoing research is carried out by WWF Austria and BirdLife Austria. Ramsar site no. 1013. Most recent RIS information: 2008.

Administrative region: 
District: Gmünd; federal state: Lower Austria

  • National legal designation: 
    • nature conservation site - Blockheide Eibenstein River ; Gemeindeau peat bog ; Karlstifter Moore (5 sites) peat bog ; Bruneiteich pond ; Gebhartsteich pond
    • nature monument - Alte Lainsitzschlinge River ; Gabrielental River ; Reitzenschlägerbach River;
  • Regional (international) legal designations: 
    • EU Natura 2000
  • Last publication date: 
    01-01-2008

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents