Northern Kalkalpen (3233)
Austria, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Nördliche Kalkalpen
Central coordinates: Latitude: 48.2000, Longitude: 14.1333
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 385 to 2515
Area of KBA (km2): 1314.79008
Protected area coverage (%): 43.28
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This site comprises four mountain ranges. The Reichramiger Hintergebirge is dominated by near-natural conifer, mixed, and broadleaved forest. The Sengsengebirge also has areas of mixed and conifer forest and extensive areas of treeline ecotone habitat. On the Haller Mauern, forest cover is less extensive. The Totes Gebirge is a largely unvegetated, high-altitude karst plateau, bordered by alpine pastures and montane and subalpine forest.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: The IBA is important for species of montane and subalpine forests, rocky areas and cliffs.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (20%) | forestry (60%) | not utilised (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 20 | |
| Forest | 60 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 20 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Intensive forestry is the major threat to the areas outside the National Park. Non-intensively managed alpine pastures are threatened by land abandonment. In the planning stage of the National Park several projects were carried out on the bird communities at different altitudes and in different habitats