Eco.mont Vol. 3 Nr. 1, pp. 51-54, 2011/05/20
Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management
The Dürrenstein Wilderness Area (WA) is the first and only wilderness area in Austria to date that is recognized by the IUCN as a Category I (a + b) area. It is situated in the south-west of Lower Austria, in the district of Scheibbs near the border with the federal province of Styria. Coordinates: 47° 47’ 18’’ N latitude; 15° 03’ 18’’ E longitude; altitude 685 – 1 878 m The WA is surrounded by the Natura 2000 area Ötscher-Dürrenstein. Currently the total size of the WA is 25 km². On a global scale, this is one of the smallest wilderness areas of its kind and will remain so, even if substantial expansion is planned for the near future. For Central Europe, however, the quality of the natural assets and the size must be considered exceptional. One reason for this is the largest remnant of primeval mountain forest in the Alps, the Rothwald. This virgin forest of spruce, fir and beech was the initial cause for creating the WA to protect this natural treasure and to mitigate impacts from outside. Rothwald virgin forest covers nearly 500 hectares on the southern slope of the Dürrenstein and makes up the core of the WA. It is surrounded by near-natural woodland that was last used for timber about 200 – 250 years ago. Since that time these forests have grown up on clearances without any human intervention.
Keywords: bark-beetle primeval-landscape self-regulation dead-wood wildlife-and-visitor-management controlling-hoofed-game
