The Zöbelboden measuring station in the Kalkalpen National Park is one of the best-equipped environmental monitoring and research sites in Austria. The Federal Environment Agency has been monitoring the environment there and studying the forest ecosystem for more than 30 years. Today, Federal Environment Agency managing directors Hildegard Gitsch Aichberger and Verena Ehold as well as National Park Director Josef Forstinger signed a working agreement to continue the successful collaboration.
Due to its enormous wealth of data, the Zöbelboden site has also proven itself as an open-air laboratory for important model calculations. For example, researchers can analyze how changes in the climate and extreme weather events affect a mountain forest ecosystem or how soil conditions can be better integrated into climate models. Recommendations for a climate-fit forest that can deal with drought effects and forest disturbances can also be derived.
The abundance of long-term data, which is rare across Europe, makes the Zöbelboden a treasure trove for international researchers. Over the last 30 years, 150 international scientists have used the site’s treasure trove of data to analyze, for example, the material and energy balance in the forest ecosystem or the development of biodiversity. Surveys on 64 bird species, 121 lichen and 195 moss species, as well as 433 vascular plants are available. Recently, flying insects, bats, mammals and soil organisms have also been documented in detail.
The Zöbelboden is not only a flagship for long-term ecological research in Austria and Europe, but also the national contribution to the United Nations’ integrated monitoring program. It is operated by the Federal Environment Agency, supported by the Kalkalpen National Park and the Austrian Federal Forests.
In the coming years, the Federal Environment Agency at Zöbelboden will continue its long-term studies on air pollutants, climate change impacts and biodiversity and at the same time address current issues such as microplastics in the environment.
The Federal Environment Agency in brief
The Federal Environment Agency will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2025 and with it four decades of commitment to transforming the economy and society to ensure sustainable living conditions. As the most important expert institution for the environment in Austria and as a leading environmental consultant in Europe, the Federal Environment Agency develops decision-making principles at local, regional, European and international levels. The Federal Environment Agency works transparently and impartially and is in dialogue with politics, administration, business, science and civil society.
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