2023-05-05 07:02:15
Successful start of the largest biodiversity project for young people and youth organizations in Austria
Vienna (OTS) – From a total of 43 submissions, the young jury selected 14 outstanding projects from the first call, which can look forward to funding from the BILLA Foundation in Blooming Austria and the Biodiversity Fund of the Ministry of Climate Protection. A total of 100,000 euros will be distributed, with a total project volume of 170,000 euros.
The project ideas come from rural youth as well as from “streetwork” youth workers, young farmers or students. The rural area is represented as well as the urban environment. The selected projects make a valuable contribution to the protection, preservation and improvement of high-quality and endangered biotope types such as dry grassland, extensively used pasture landscapes, wetlands and wet meadows and have an impact on an area of more than 40 hectares. Whether measures for flowering areas with native meadow species, water bodies, bats, hedges with native trees, butterflies, fruit trees or green lizards – the range of ideas for more biodiversity and species diversity is large. Hundreds of young people and young adults are involved in 14 projects.
“Changemaker #nature shows in a wonderful way what young people are made of and how much they do to protect biodiversity and climate protection if they are given the opportunity. I am pleased that we support the diverse projects of committed young people with the biodiversity fund and thus contribute to raising awareness and active participation,”
according to Dr. Astrid Rössler, Chairwoman of the Commission of the Austrian Biodiversity Fund and Member of the National Council.
Together with the partners Federal Youth Representation, CliMates Austria, GLOBAL 2000, Landjugend Austria and BILLA Apprenticeship and Young Talent Promotion, the BILLA Foundation supports the changemakers of today and tomorrow. “With Changemaker #nature we support committed young people who have innovative ideas for biodiversity and climate protection and thus turn them into designers of sustainable development in Austria,”
emphasizes Robert Nagele, BILLA board member.
By young people for young people
Changemaker #nature is providing 300,000 euros for biodiversity projects, which will be awarded in three calls in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Young people actively participate in the selection process: The honorary jury consists exclusively of people between the ages of 14 and 27. In addition, the financed project partners are supported by experts with coaching and mentoring.
“The first call by Changemaker #nature shows that young people want to get involved and can take on responsibility. Both the young project sponsors and the honorary jury prove that our young people can make an effective contribution to biodiversity and climate protection and to sustainable development in Austria,”
emphasizes Hildegard Aichberger, Board Member of Blühendes Österreich & Board Member of oekostrom AG.
The winners
Burgenland
On the slopes of the Leithagebirge and in the Ruster Hügelland, the young farmers Matthias and Simon Erharth are renaturing more than 17 hectares of valuable dry grassland and semi-dry grassland areas by grazing with old livestock breeds.
Donnerskirchner councilor Anna Reichardt, together with the elementary school, will turn the children of the community into changemakers for three years as part of the holiday care. A total of 120 bat boxes, wild bee nesting aids and bird nesting boxes will be produced and hung up in the community.
“Together with the elementary school, we want to improve the biodiversity in our community. The children learn from an early age to appreciate the biodiversity in their environment,”
says Anna Reichardt, young winemaker and councillor.
Wien
By creating one hectare of natural habitats in urban areas, the Ökocampus Wien, an association of committed students and graduates, creates valuable stepping stones in the middle of the city and thus protects numerous endangered species. With their interactive communication regarding nature, they allow the nature network in Vienna to flourish.
Lower Austria
On the Wachberg in the Karlstetten region, Emanuel-Josef Wanas will revitalize and care for more than 2 hectares of hay meadows, orchards and dry grassland. Both his frugal cashmere goats and the biodiversity of the areas benefit from a late mowing of the meadows, which is also grazed in certain areas. “By renaturing species-rich flowering meadows and dry grassland through targeted migratory shepherding with cashmere goats and late hay cutting, I can make my home community a little bit more livable and species-rich.”
emphasizes the young farmer Emanuel-Josef Wanas.
In Kirchberg an der Pielach and two other communities, young people want to join in Streetwork Pielachtal 0.12 hectares of open space will be designed to be climate-friendly and biodiverse, existing areas will be ecologically upgraded and additional flower strips and deadwood zones will be created.
Die Boy Scouts Baden support the conversion of the black pine forest in their community into 1.5 hectares of semi-natural and climate-friendly mixed deciduous forest by removing invasive neophytes.
Die Nature Conservation Youth Lower Austria is designing community areas in Asparn an der Zaya together with the students of the Asparn school center to be more natural, creating 0.3 hectares of biodiversity areas such as wildflower meadows, a green toad habitat, a sandarium and piles of dead wood and stones.
The valuable dry grassland on the Spatzenberg in Nußdorf above the Traisen are threatened by bush encroachment and waste. Here he sets Ortolan association with a diverse catalog of measures and extensive grazing to restore 0.6 hectares of these high-quality habitats.
In the Gainfarner basin, they are renaturing Scouts: inside Bad Vöslau one of the rare wet meadows on an area of 0.3 hectares due to wasting and single-cut mowing.
In Witzendorf on the outskirts of St. Pölten, Veronika Neumeister, Hermann Fahrnberger, Jan Brinkmann and their colleagues from the Global Youth Biodiversity Network Austria are converting a hectare of formerly intensively used arable land into a biodiversity oasis. “Together we want to make intensive agricultural landscapes more natural and integrate biodiversity more into agriculture once more,”
says Veronica Neumeister.
Styria
In the Enns Valley, Volker Seiser is involved with the Nature Conservation Association Styria for upgrading the valuable wet meadows on this important migratory bird route in terms of nature conservation. Water points for the feathered guests will be created on 12 hectares.
The Youth Center Leibnitz transforms a former parking lot into a species-rich biodiversity area. Meadows are being created on 0.075 hectares in the middle of the city, and native trees and shrubs are also being planted. The young people are involved in the planning and implementation.
Salzburg
Thomas Holzer and the rural youth Unternberg-Tomatal alleviate the housing shortage of endangered species such as tree dormouse, dormouse and bats in the Salzburg Lungau. 40 bat boards and 20 nesting boxes for the rare small mammals are hung up and cared for in stables and in the forests of the municipality.
Vorarlberg
In Hittisau laid farmer Andreas Schwarz replanted an orchard on 0.9 hectares and ecologically upgraded the cultural landscape in the Nagefluhkette Nature Park by planting old varieties, hedge bushes and herbaceous borders. “In the past, fruit trees were an important part of the cultural landscape in the Bregenzerwald. Nowadays fruit growing in our region has almost been forgotten. Personally, it is important to me to make the villagers more aware of old fruit varieties and native shrubs and to provide an example of how grassland and forest edges can be designed more structurally,”
confirms Andreas Schwarz.
Changemaker #nature is funded by the biodiversity fund of the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.
About Blooming Austria – BILLA non-profit private foundation
The BILLA Foundation Blooming Austria is committed to a healthy environment and ecologically sustainable agriculture. Therefore, since 2015, Blooming Austria has been supporting around 230 farmers, nature conservation organizations, communities and other initiatives that protect our habitats, animals and plants through responsible agriculture and valuable environmental projects. Already 1056 hectares of endangered biotope areas are specifically secured. The website bluehendesoesterreich.at is the strongest digital platform for nature tourism and nature content. In the nature experience portal, Blühendes Österreich bundles around 100 organizations with thousands of nature events per year. With more than 50,000 downloads and the associated desktop version, the citizen science app “Schmetterlinge Österreichs” is one of the largest nature observation apps in German-speaking countries. www.bluehendesoesterreich.at
Questions & contact:
dr Judith Terlizzi, Head of Communication Blossoming Austria,
Tel. +43 676 711 74 50, j.terlizzi@bluehendesoesterreich.at
1683270331
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