Thayatal WILDForest Brief by European Wilderness Society

European Wilderness Network Thayatal WILDForest

2018 ÂŠ European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org

European Wilderness Network

Thayatal WILDForest, Austria

2018 Well-protected area of mixed deciduous forests in the lowland of the Pannonia region, left to spontaneous development approx. 50 000 There is no public access to the Thayatal WILDForest (only on special occasions excursions or for research)

Number of visitors per year to the WILDForest

250 ha

Podyjí National Park

Due to the fragility of the fragments of Thayatal WILDForest, the exact location of Thayatal WILDForest is not disclosed.

BRONZE

Thayatal National Park

Map scale 1 : 148 000

L DE R N E

Number of visitors per year to the protected area

1 360 ha

The 250 ha Thayatal WILDForest was subjected to a QuickAudit in 2017 and 2018 and meets the Bronze Wilderness Quality Standard. The Thayatal National Park and Podyjí National Park together with the European Wilderness Society will consider the opportunity to implement a European Wilderness Quality Standard Full Audit and create the first Transboundary Wilderness in Central Europe in the coming years. The WILDForest has the potential to be enlarged by 300 ha.

Wilderness Uniqueness

Thayatal National Park Thayatal WILDForest Austria

ALIT Y QU

European Wilderness Quality Standard Audit System

Protected area Wilderness Country Size of the protected area Size of the WILDForest European Wilderness Quality Standard Audit

The Thayatal WILDForest is characterised by extraordinary scenery, being home to features such as rocky amphitheatres, cliffs and broadleaf mixed forest. The Thayatal WILDForest is the key element and driving force behind the establishment of the transboundary Wilderness of the Podyjí National Park in Czech Republic and Thayatal National Park in Austria, and has been since the beginning of conservation efforts in this area.

Wilderness information

E U ROP E A

The 250 ha Thayatal WILDForest is embedded in the Thayatal National Park, Austria. It is Austria’s smallest National Park, located in the north-eastern part of the country, at the border with Podyjí National Park in the Czech Republic. Thayatal National Park was established in the year 2000. The name Thayatal can be translated into the ‘valley of the Thaya river’, which is an impressive valley with valuable fragments of steep cliffs and dense broadleaf forest ecosystem.

O WILDERNESS S

Thayatal WILDForest / Austria

Biodiversity The territory of Thayatal National Park has a very high biodiversity. There are several hundreds of vascular plant species, fungi, lichens, mosses, birds and mammals. There is a rich variety of forest types, such as oak and hornbeam-oak forests, relict pine forests, spring alluviums alder forest, and the native beech forests in the higher parts of the National Park. The Thayatal WILDForest is located in an impressive valley with steep cliffs, gentle meadows, natural forests and fascinating flora and fauna. The area is located on a distinct climatic border where continental and pannonian Central European flora and fauna come together. A significant part of the area is covered with forests, of which a considerable percentage is currently left to spontaneous development. The aim in the coming years is to let 75-85% of Thayatal National Park develop under spontaneous succession and to protect spontaneous dynamics of biodiversity.

Wilderness Tourism Experience The Thayatal National Park lies in a very densely populated area with good transport accessibility, 95 km from Vienna and 220 km from Prague. The park itself is not accessible for cars, but is accessible by a network of marked paths for pedestrians. Only the city of Hardegg, which is situated in the centre of the National Park is accessible by bike or car. The paths lead around the Thayatal WILDForest, therefore the character of the area can be seen from several attractive viewing points. A system of information panels in the field outside of the WILDForest provide the visitors with valuable information about the area. Additionally, there are paths that lead along parts of the Thaya river, which provide several viewing points to observe the character of the river. Thayatal WILDForest is not accessible for tourists, but a network of paths enable visitors to discover and experience the surrounding forests and river, which also have a wild character.

Contact Thayatal WILDForest Thayatal National Park 2082 Hardegg, Austria Phone: +43 2949 70050 Website: www.np-thayatal.at/en

ÂŠ European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org

European Wilderness Society

Founded on more than 20 years of Wilderness work by our members, the European Wilderness Society is the only Pan-European, Wilderness and environmental advocacy non-profit, non-government organisation. It has a dedicated multi-cultural and experienced team of Wilderness and wildlife specialists, nature conservationists, researchers and scientists, tourism experts, marketing and business professionals, legal advisors and Wilderness advocates, whose mission is to: XX XX XX XX

identify designate steward promote

Europe’s last Wilderness, WILDCoasts, WILDForests, WILDIslands and WILDRivers. Here non-human intervention leads to open-ended, dynamic processes. This is conveyed through a range of projects that facilitate Wilderness knowledge exchange, including education, culture and science, from local community through to scientific and governmental level.

European Wilderness Network

The European Wilderness Network connects Europe’s wildest places. Certified by the European Wilderness Quality and Audit System, these unique areas host diverse wild ecosystems governed by dynamic open-ended processes, with no or minimum human-intervention. The Network includes, for example, Europe’s last primeval beech forests, the arctic tundra, and mountain landscapes in different climate conditions. It aims to promote Europe’s last Wilderness, WILDCoasts, WILDForests, WILDIslands and WILDRivers, with a comprehensive marketing strategy. The European Wilderness Network offers a platform to share Wilderness Stewardship best-practice examples and Wilderness research. It connects like-minded Wilderness managers and advocates and fosters the exchange of ideas and knowledge across Europe and the world through the European Wilderness Exchange Programme. For more information please see http://european-wilderness.network

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