Cultural landscape programme National Park Hohe Tauern (Kulturlandschaftsprogramm Nationalpark Hohe Tauern)
Best Practice
Topics
Protected areas
Regional value added, New forms of decision-making, Policies and instruments
Short description
National park, expansion: 6000 hectars, running time of the cultural landscape programme: 1991-1997, objective: Evaluation and assignation of compensation payments for landscape conservation by low-intensity used areas. The evaluation of the investigation area was mapped by land register (culture landscape investigation). This was in the beginning of the 90s a very new concept. A management plan and an approach were developed. The implementation was done by a regional organization (Trägerverein). In 1995 this organization was replaced by the OePUL programme (programme for ecological agriculture).
Project executive
Nationalparkrat - Nationalpark council.
Participants
Financial support:
mostly Federal State of Carynthia (Land Kärnten)
less:Federal Ministry for the environment (Bundesministerium für Umwelt)
Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt)
National Park administration (Nationalparkverwaltung)
Active and organisational participation:
Association for cultural landscape (Kulturlanschaftsverein)
farmers of the region
Federal State of Carynthia (Land Kärnten)
Objectives
The cultural landscape changed a lot in the last decades. For natural landscape are existing huge monitorings in the National park Hohe Tauern, but not for the cultural landscape. The objective is to conderve the cultural landscape and a sustainable use in future.
Activities
The evaluation of the investigation area was mapped by land register (cultural landscape investigation).
Discussion with municipalities and farmers. Developing jointly by participation in a conservation programme.
Evaluation and assignation of compensation payments for landscape conservation in low-intensity used areas.
Process
Transparent planning process, communication and workshops with stakeholders.
Results
The objectives were achieved. The success factors were:
Direct communication with the landowners, mostly farmers. In general this was done by a visit on the concerned ground (Communication). Quantification and valuation of rural achievement. Local organizations were charged to carry out the project. These organizations were more accepted (execution by local organizations). The project and objectives were created in co-operation with the farmers (participative and transparent management).
The farmers got compensation payments. This was based on contracts (lucrative incentive system). The farmers were allowed to use their land under certain restrictions (protection by low intensity use). This was the first time that the grounds were exactly mapped by land register. The protection of the land by low-intensity use was ensured by contracts with the farmers (protection by contract).
Co-operation and communication between the protected area management and landowners. The planning was done with the farmers (close contact between stakeholders).
Evaluation
No evaluation. Further optimization for 4 years. Implementation of the improvements in the following OePUL-programme.
Difficulties
The main difficulty was to convince the stakeholders from this new idea. The resolution was the financial incentive.
Budget
~100.000-150.000 € per year (Euro)
Financial backer
Financed mostly by the Federal State of Carynthia (Land Kärnten) and Federal Ministry for the environment (Bundesministerium für Umwelt),
Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt),
National Park administration (Nationalparkverwaltung).