National Parks
The country has 6 national parks, crossed by numerous walking, cycling and horse riding routes.
Donau-Auen National Park: partly located in the city of Vienna, it protects the ecosystems of the Danube valley and particularly the Lobau. The "Viennese jungle" or marshy plain is home to an exceptional biodiversity, including some threatened species.
National Park of the Limestone Alps (Kalkalpen National Park): located in Upper Austria, it protects one of the oldest mixed forests in the country and harbours a great biodiversity.
Gesäuse National Park: located in Styria, Austria's newest national park offers a wide variety of environments and landscapes that will delight nature lovers.
Thayatal National Park: located in Lower Austria, it preserves the ecosystems of the Thaya Valley, including remarkable wetlands and deciduous forests.
Hohe Tauern National Park: located partly in Carinthia and partly in Tyrol, this is the largest national park in Central Europe. It is renowned for its sumptuous landscapes and is home to a rich biodiversity.
Neusiedler See National Park (or Fertő-Hanság National Park) : bordering Hungary, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural landscapes and by the RAMSAR convention for the importance of its wetlands (including Lake Neusiedl).
Organic farming at the forefront
In 2021, with more than a quarter of the agricultural land cultivated - and certified - as organic, Austria will be at the top of the world rankings in this field. This success is the result of pioneering farmers in the inter-war period, the structuring of the sector from the 1960s onwards, communication in the media, and financial support from the State. Supermarkets have also been involved in the distribution of organic products since the 1990s. The consumption of organic products is growing rapidly in the country.
Towards sustainable mobility
Austria has embarked on an ambitious policy to promote low-carbon mobility. Vienna is the city in the European Union with the most night trains. This strategy is based in particular on the acquisition by the Austrian railway company of the German night train subsidiary. The ambition is to continue to extend the network, which currently has 27 lines. The country has also announced a €7 billion budget to electrify the entire rail network by 2035. Among the measures proposed in June 2020 by the Minister of the Environment, a flat fee of up to €3 per day for unlimited use of all public transport in the country, with local variations (€2 regional and €1 city flat fee). Cycling mobility is not to be outdone either. In Vienna, 1,400 km of cycle paths and dedicated lanes await you. The country is crossed by 5 European cycle routes. EuroVelo 6, which is very popular with Austrians, allows you to cycle along the Danube. A network of Alpine villages, Alpine Pearls, offers car-free tourism(www.alpine-pearls.com). In June 2020, the Austrian government announced measures for socially and environmentally responsible transport. The country intends to set a minimum price for air tickets and to tax flights of less than 350 km. Domestic flights that can be substituted by train journeys of less than 3 hours will be banned. Already, in 2017, a court ruling put an end to the construction of a third runway at Vienna-Schwechat airport, due to climatic reasons.
Facing the climate emergency
The country, especially the medium and high mountain areas, are particularly vulnerable to climate change. A scientific assessment report indicated in 2014 that the increase in temperatures compared to the pre-industrial era was already close to +2 °C. Climate change could lead to a greater frequency and intensity of extreme events (including floods, droughts, landslides, forest fires). Melting glaciers - 80% of which could disappear in the Alps by the end of the century - could threaten agriculture and hydropower production. Faced with this situation, Austria has set itself the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. In addition to the mobility-related actions mentioned above, the country wants to introduce tax incentives, as well as measures such as a ban on oil-fired heating by 2035. The energy mix, composed of two-thirds fossil fuels, would see its share of renewable energy (hydroelectricity, biomass) increase to 50% by 2030, and be expanded (wind and solar power). It should be noted that Austria abandoned nuclear power in 1978. Energy efficiency is an important lever, along with sobriety and the circular economy, an approach already successfully tested in Vorarlberg.
Vorarlberg: a laboratory for sustainability
A region in decline in the 1980s, Vorarlberg has undergone a revival thanks to the initiative of its inhabitants and a group of architects who were able to transform the constraints of the territory into assets and to develop its resources in a coherent and ecological manner. The revitalization of the territory is based on wood construction (an abundant local resource), aiming at energy efficiency and services to the population: cafés, shops, etc. In some villages, this approach has been accompanied by the creation of local currencies, all of which have contributed to maintaining the population, creating jobs (including a wood industry) and attracting tourism based on the discovery of architecture. Today, Vorarlberg is one of the most dynamic regions in the country and is aiming for energy autonomy by 2050, through the development of renewable energy and energy sobriety. This is a fine example of resilience based on the sustainable management of local resources and the inventiveness of the inhabitants.
