Gadental European protected area

Gadental

Aberdeen Angus in the Gaden Valley

The European protection area Gadental ( Natura 2000 areas ) is located in the municipality of Sonntag in Vorarlberg , Austria . It includes forest , especially mountain pines (Spirken) and fens and pastures . The mountain pines are considered to be "survivors" and can also grow in very nutrient-poor areas, as is the case here, but also in acidic subsoil, such as in raised bogs .

The purpose of the Gadental European Protected Area is to protect the endangered wild native plant and animal species and their natural habitats that live here.

Legal basis

The Gadental is triple protected. As part of the Großes Walsertal Biosphere Park , as a European protected area (since 2000) and as a - somewhat smaller - nature reserve (since 1987). In accordance with the Vorarlberg Nature Conservation Ordinance, the Gadental European Protected Area was designated as such with a simple state law. The flora-fauna-habitat directive 92/43 / EEC (FFH directive) of the European Union forms the basis for the protection .

topography

The Gadental is a side valley of the Great Walser Valley in the municipality of Sonntag and has roughly the shape of an irregular trapezoid . It is one of the six core zones of the Großes Walsertal Biosphere Reserve. The entire area is at an altitude of about 970  m above sea level. A. up to 2500  m above sea level A. It has a greatest length of about 5.2 km (northwest-southeast) and a width of about 5.5 km (southwest-northeast), totaling an area of ​​about 1550 hectares.

To the south, still in the protected area, is the dung heap ( 2436  m above sea level ) and the Black Wall ( 2524  m above sea level ). The Matonakopf ( 1854  m above sea level ) and the Bettlerspitze ( 2272  m above sea level ) are on the eastern border of the protected area. The Hirschenspitze forms the southern end of the protected area ( 2501  m above sea level ).

Purpose and scope of protection

In terms of the Flora-Fauna-Habitat Directive (Annex I of the Habitats Directive), this protected area

• the priority habitat
  • Bush vegetation with Pinus mugo and Rhododendron hirsutum
  • montane and subalpine Pinus uncinata forest on gypsum and lime substrate
  • Tufa springs
  • Tilio-Acerion canyon and slope mixed forests
• further
  • alpine and subalpine limestone grasslands
  • Limestone and limestone slate heaps of the montane to alpine level
  • Moist tall herbaceous vegetation of the montane to alpine level
  • Limestone cliffs with crevice vegetation
  • caves that are not open to tourists
  • montane to alpine acidic spruce forests (Vaccinio-Piceetea)
  • Woodruff beech forest (Asperulo-Fagetum)
  • Central European subalpine beech forest with maple and Rumex arifolius
  • Lady's slipper (Cypripedium calceolus)
  • calcareous fens

especially to protect. Forestry use is deliberately avoided in this European protected area. As a result, the near-natural forests should become real primeval forests again over time.

Use and traffic

The European protected area is partly used as a local recreation area. The water power of the Matonabach is used to a small extent to supply Bad Rothenbrunnen with energy .

There are no public roads leading into the protected area.

literature

• European Protected Areas Gadental , Office of the Vorarlberg State Government, Bregenz ( online ).
• Maria Jerabek, Guido Reiter: The small mammals in the Gadental nature reserve, Großes Walsertal , part 1 - shrews, voles and sleepers (Insectivora, Rodentia) , Dornbirn 2001, Vorarlberger Naturschau - research and discover, Volume 9, pp. 135-170 ( online ) .
• Maria Jerabek, Guido Reiter, Brigitte Reutter: The small mammals in the Gadental nature reserve, Großes Walsertal , Part 2 - Wood mice (Muridae, Rodentia) , Dornbirn 2002, Vorarlberger Naturschau - research and discover, Volume 11, pp. 123-142 ( online ).

Web links

Commons : Gadental  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Gadental Biosphere Reserve , youtube.
• Report on Großes Walsertal , youtube.
• European protected areas in Vorarlberg , website: Vogis.at

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ordinance of the state government on the "Großes Walsertal Biosphere Park", LGBl. No. 33/2000, to which the municipal areas of Blons , Fontanella , Raggal , St. Gerold , Sonntag and Thüringerberg belong.
2. ↑ Nature reserve based on the entry in the nature reserve in accordance with the ordinance of the state government on the "Gadental" nature reserve in Sonntag, LGBl. No. 40/1987, ID 8008.
3. ↑ LGBl. No. 36/2003, Annex 1, FFH Protected Areas, No. 4th
4. ↑ See graphic representation of the Office of the State Government of May 2, 2003, Zl. IVe-106.00.

Coordinates: 47 ° 13 '23.8 "  N , 9 ° 59' 43.2"  E