Weinzödl bird sanctuary

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Protected area on the Andritzbach
Forest edge along the Mur

The Weinzödl bird sanctuary is a nature reserve in the provincial capital Graz in the Austrian state of Styria . The protected area, which has existed since 2017, comprises a section of the Mur and a large part of the Andritz waterworks in the north of the city. Up to the date of the ordinance, a total of 134 bird species had been identified, including the rare tree falcon as hunting guests .

Location and surroundings

The nature reserve exists along an approximately 2,300-meter-long stretch of the Mur in the northern Grazer Feld in the urban districts of Andritz and Gösting . It extends from the underwater of the Weinzödl power plant at the exit of the Middle Mur Valley to the Pongratz-Moore-Steg north of the Kalvarienberg . In addition to the continuously wooded bank areas to the left and right of the river, it covers a large part of the area of ​​the Andritz municipal waterworks, which is not accessible to the public. The factory premises on the left bank of the Mur are bounded to the north and east by Weinzöttlstrasse ( B 67a ) and Andritzbach .

natural reserve

The idea of ​​a bird sanctuary in Graz-Nord was inspired by an opinion by ornithologist Emanuel Lederer and was first publicly discussed in 2007 as part of the “Zeit für Graz” public participation initiative. In September 2012, impressions of an evening scene from the banks of the Mur were described in the Kleine Zeitung and the threat to this habitat was pointed out:

“We stand on a sand bank and watch in fascination as myriads of quiver flies and mayflies rise from the river bed. Like goosander dozing between rocks. How bats compete with swifts. How mallards move to their sleeping place in the direction of Stattegg at exactly the same time as they do every evening. And then he shows up too. The tree hawk, the star of the live show. How he hunts for insects hatching from the river at breakneck speed. Here in this place, this spectacle can be seen almost every evening from April to the beginning of October. "

Male goosander in the habitat

In May 2015, the Greens in the Graz municipal council asked Mayor Siegfried Nagl to place the area under protection . On January 19, 2017, he finally enacted a nature reserve of 73 hectares. This is the first time since 1988 that an important natural conservation area has been designated within the city limits. The extension of the Weinzödl bird sanctuary far exceeds that of the four other Graz nature reserves (together around five hectares).

The area serves 134 of a total of 144 bird species in the Graz city area as a reproduction and food space, resting and sleeping area. 49 of them, including goosander and dipper , were found to be breeding birds . Frequent guests such as the tree hawk , whinchat , kingfisher , sandpiper , garden treecreeper , stock dove and small woodpecker are on the red list of endangered species . The area, which is particularly important for winter rest, is largely close to nature and has a varied structure with water, bank areas, forests and open meadows. The forest flora is made up of trees such as ash and elm , black poplar , white willow and Scots pine .

controversy

Information and prohibition sign

Even before the area was placed under protection, the lower reaches and mouth of the Andritzbach were redesigned and partially renatured for the purpose of flood protection . In the course of the construction work, a rest and picnic area was created next to the newly created cycle path near the Arland grounds, through which the banks of the Mur can be easily accessed. In order to counteract excessive use of the sensitive nature reserve, the city had information and prohibition boards put up at critical points in spring 2018.

In the summer of 2019, criticism of the effectiveness of the protected area was again voiced. Birds and other animals such as badgers , red foxes and various types of snakes would be massively disturbed by campfires, parties and dogs running freely. In addition, many visitors violated the ban on entering the gravel banks . According to the initiator Emanuel Lederer, the dipper has already disappeared as a breeding bird, as have the cormorant , gray heron and goosander as winter guests. The redesign of the Andritzbach not only caused an influx of visitors, but also did not comply with the approval. Those responsible for nature conservation filed a lawsuit and asked those seeking relaxation not to step on the left bank of the Mur. In order to educate the population about the correct behavior in the protected area, the Greens also called for an information campaign. There is no deterioration in the entire area .

Following the COVID-19 - Lockdown ornithologist Lederer renewed his criticism. The area has meanwhile become "completely uninteresting" for water birds . Meanwhile, the mayor's office said there were talks about the future of the area.

Web links

Commons : Vogelschutzgebiet Weinzödl  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Weinzödl nature reserve in the north of Graz. Inside Graz, January 19, 2017, accessed on May 31, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b Andrea Pavlovec-Meixner: Inquiry: Protection of the Andritz water protection area as a nature reserve. Die Grünen , May 21, 2015, accessed May 31, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b c Verena Schleich: House rules for wildlife. In: BIG - The official website of the city of Graz. March 2018, pp. 20–21.
  4. ↑ Robert Preis: Now the air shows are signposted. Kleine Zeitung , April 28, 2018, accessed on May 31, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Verena Leitold: Ornithologist is alarmed: The Graz bird sanctuary does not protect birds. derGrazer, July 7, 2019, accessed May 31, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Robert Preis: Bird protection is a "sham". In: Kleine Zeitung , edition of May 24, 2020, p. 40.

Coordinates: 47 ° 6 ′ 18 ″  N , 15 ° 24 ′ 30.5 ″  E