Inventory and typology of the dry grasslands in the Alpine Biogeographical Region of Austria

Duration: 2022 – 2022

Funding: Bundesministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität, Innovation und Technologie

Description

Dry grasslands are among the most species-rich habitats in Central Europe. At the same time, they are highly threatened by land use changes. Our current knowledge of the dry grasslands in the Austrian Alps is rather fragmentary and based on studies from the 1950ies to the 1980ies. Assignment of these grasslands to EU habitat types is uncertain in many cases. This hampers systematic monitoring and implementation of effective conservation measures. With this project, we aim at establishing an up-to-date inventory of the dry grasslands in the Alpine Biogeographical Region of Austria and a revision of their typology (classification). We will visit all sites, map their current extent and record their species composition. Using newly sampled relevés as well as data from the literature and databases, we will do a phytosociological revision of the dry grasslands and clarify the assignment of these communities to EU habitat types.

Contact

Wolfgang Willner