Facts
Forst- und Landwirtschaftsbetrieb der Stadt Wien,
Österreichische Bundesforste
Gemeinden und Bezirke
Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
Universität Wien
Universität Salzburg
Universität Graz
div. ExpertInnen
div. wissenschaftliche Vereine
NGO's
VOR
Biosphärenpark Wienerwald
For the ninth time, the BPWW Management GmbH organised an event in 2015 to celebrate GEO Biodiversity Day as initiated by the renowned German nature magazine GEO. This gives us an opportunity to explore alternately a community in Lower Austria or a district in Vienna and to get the local inhabitants excited about the biodiversity on their own patch. The event is held with financial and logistics support from the municipality concerned, the local players, and Partner organisations of the BPWW Management GmbH. Since 2009 the Biodiversity Day is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
Since 2014, Biodiversity Day has been organised as a sustainable, eco-friendly event. From accessibility by means of public transport, to numerous measures for reducing waste, methods to save energy and water, use of eco-friendly materials, down to the diverse offer of seasonal organically produced groceries from the region, extensive activities are organised in order to make Biodiversity Day into a an Eco Event (cf. www.oekoevent.at/).
Scientific part: The objective for scientific participants and specialists is to survey as many species as possible in a given area in the course of 24 hours. The quest for species by experts participating voluntarily starts on Fridays and is continued on Saturdays. A special highlight on Fridays is the search for nocturnal animals (e.g. bats, nocturnal moths etc). Initial data was already collected during the event. With regard to species groups which require e.g. in-depth laboratory work for identification, the data will be entered into the database in the following months. Subsequently, the data is also published in a small-scale publication and made available to the community or municipality concerned.
Biodiversity festival: In the course of this event, nature trails (both night and day) will be led by experts providing opportunities to observe rare animals such as bats and moths or to look over experts’ shoulders as they do their research. On the subsequent day, the great family Festival takes place in a community or district of the Wienerwald BR, with a varied programme of education and entertainments, numerous info booths highlighting local biodiversity, a wildflower market with rare varieties for the garden, colourful entertainments for children, regional delicacies and a raffle. A variety of offerings provide opportunities to experience the wonderful world of plants and animals at close quarters.
