“How forward-looking and at the pulse of the Vienna Wald- and Wiesen-Charta (WWWC) was and is, it really turned out in the course of their implementation,” emphasizes Vienna’s climate council Jürgen Czernohorszky. “As is now evident, it is the perfect basis for the new requirements and challenges of the EU Recipient Ordinance.”
The Viennese forest and meadow charta program was implemented in the period from April 2021 to March 2025. The basis for this was a state resolution that was taken on June 25, 2020 and which included the Charter itself and the three action plans for forest, biodiversity and water. Now the result report is available – the program and the measures are now continued as part of the biodiversity strategy “Wiener Plan for Biodiversity and Renaturation”.
More information under www.umweltschutz.wien.gv.at/naturschutz/wald-und-wiesen-charta.html
Bundle of measures for Vienna’s green spaces
“The aim of the WWWC was and is to bundle measures to protect, maintain and sustainably use the green spaces in Vienna and to implement it across administrative borders,” explains Michael Kienesberger, head of the city of Vienna – environmental protection. “For this purpose, the Charter defines central attitudes, guiding principles, action plans and key measures for the long -term securing and promotion of biodiversity, climate protection and quality of life in Vienna,” adds Wolfgang Khutter from the Vienna Environmental Protection Department, which initiated the Charter and its action plans and coordinated its implementation.
The main focus of the content includes the securing and further development of the green belt, the establishment of a coordinated nature conservation budget, a higher -level green area management to provide land for biodiversity measures, consciousness formation of a joint narrative, environmental education, sustainable forest management, maintenance and promotion of meadow habitats, a sustainable design of bank areas and Waters, promotion of ecoland construction or visitors for an environmentally friendly use of the green belt.
Neun Subteams
The implementation was carried out in nine thematically oriented subteams, each of which was led by experts selected departments and institutions of the city of Vienna. In close coordination with experts, institutions and stakeholders, they worked on the operational implementation of a large number of measures – from resilient forest management to innovative projects in urban agriculture to sustainable leisure mobility.
Regular program team meetings served the content exchange, the structural coordination and the processing of cross-sectional topics. An external sounding board supported the program, critically accompanied and secured the quality. This form of continuous, interdisciplinary cooperation across administrative boundaries was crucial in order to strengthen biodiversity as an integral part of urban development.
Preparations for recovery plan
The EU regulation on the restoration of nature (WHVO) obliges the member states to gradually restore ecosystems and habitats in a poor ecological state. The recovery plan to be developed in this context includes a wide range of subject areas- from forest and meadow maintenance to water restoration and grazing to the creation and maintenance of trittstein biotopes or pollinator. In urban rooms in particular, additional measures are required to increase biodiversity, green accumulation and over shielding.
The nature conservation area Breitenlee
A central result is the purchase of the former ÖBB shift station in Breitenlee through the city of Vienna-for a total of around 90 hectares of nature conservation site. The national biodiversity fund was successfully addressed to finance the purchase of this area, so that almost complete promotion of this purchase is guaranteed.
In the context of at least one EU funding project, invasive plants that threaten biodiversity are to be eliminated, new habitats for reptiles, amphibians and numerous other protected and rare species are to be created, and a seed landscape with cattle and goats are created for sustainable and climate-friendly care. The removal of previously concrete or different sealed areas is another essential aspect of the renaturation.
In the long term, it is planned to make the natural jewel tangible through a carefully planned route and individual viewing platforms in order to be able to show the Viennese population the hidden treasures even without disturbing animals and plants.
The result report of the Vienna Wald- and Wiesen-Charta is published on the Internet at:
https://www.wien.gv.at/umweltschutz/naturschutz/wald-und-wiesen-charta.html