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General Development of the National Park System
The development of the national park system in Austria started in 1971 when the three Federal Provinces of Carinthia, Salzburg and the Tyrol decided to establish the Hohe Tauern National Park according to the “Heiligenblut Agreement”. The creation of national parks took several years in each case because of the extensive participation of land owners, stakeholders, NGO’s and other interested parties, and the introduction of contractual nature conservation. There are currently 6 national parks in Austria covering about 3 % of the state territory. > more about: General Development of the National Park System
03.05.2011,
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Photo: R. MayrDefinition
The World Conservation Union IUCN defines a national park (under Protected Area Management Category II) as a "protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation ". > more + downloads about: Definition
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Photo: F. RiederDevelopment in Austria
Nature conservation is not a matter of course. As long as an area is suited for different uses there will always be conflicting interests between economy and nature conservation. This is the case in many countries, and Austrian national parks are no exception. > more + downloads about: Development in Austria
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Photo: NP Neusiedler See...Area Selection
The selection of areas was based on the following criteria:
Size, representative character of the ecosystem, land ownership and feasibility. In most cases, the first step in planning a national park is a feasibility study, which does not only examine all the relevant aspects but also compares different options (with regard to size).03.05.2011,
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Photo: NP Neusiedler See...Zoning
Zoning within the national parks follows the IUCN guidelines. These stipulate that at least three quarters of the total area must belong to the strict protection zone without any economic use or human intervention. This zone is normally referred to as “natural zone”. > more about: Zoning
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Photo: H. DolecekArea Securement
Areas must be secured by legal regulations such as purchase, lease or contractual nature conservation based on long-term contracts. Adequate compensation is paid for the forfeiture of yield from uses and economic losses.
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Photo: Nationalpark Gesä...Municipalities in National Parks
There are 66 municipalities located in national parks: > more about: Municipalities in National Parks
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Photo: E. MayrhoferCurrent Situation of National Parks
After their establishment, the national parks have built up an infrastructure for visitors, recruited and trained well qualified staff members, initiated nature conservation and research projects, set up educational facilities, promoted public relations and developed visitor programmes that focus on experiencing nature. > more about: Current Situation of National Parks
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Photo: P. GruberPrinciples of Foundation
National parks have become model projects of nature conservation and environmental protection in Austria and demonstration projects in their respective regions. They owe their success stories in part to the principles underlying their development.
The strategy of the national park foundation is based on three major principles: > more about: Principles of Foundation03.05.2011,