2024-07-27 08:18:19
Vellacher Kotschna in Austria’s southernmost state of Carinthia is a high valley in the Steiner Alps and has been declared a European protected area. According to a release from the office of Nature Conservation Commissioner Sara Schaar (SPÖ), the state government will take up the regulation on Tuesday. The Eisenkappel-Vellach municipality’s area covers approximately 586 hectares and has been a nature reserve since 1959.
The area has 11 habitats protected by the Flora and Fauna Habitat Directive and 9 flora and fauna species such as the Illyrian beech forest, lady’s slipper, myotis-eared bat and lesser horseshoe bat. “The regulations to be discussed now are crucial in order to protect the biodiversity of the Vellacher Kotschna area and to protect existing protected assets and habitats in the long term,” Schaal said. The area was reported to the European Commission in May 1995 and was recognized as a European Protected Area in December 2003.
The Mannsberg soil in Kappel am Krappfeld is an existing Natura 2000 area that will also be expanded by almost 1.5 hectares by changing the boundaries of the eastern area. “From a conservation perspective, these additional areas make a lot of sense because they are high-quality forest habitat that will provide better protection for future generations,” Schaal said.
European protected areas are several categories of protected areas designed to protect natural habitats and in most cases are part of the EU’s Natura 2000 network of protected areas for the protection of natural habitats and species. These areas are important as habitat for endangered species. They also play an important role in carbon binding and storage and are therefore relevant for mitigating the effects of global warming.
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