The cooperation between both our organizations — Austrian Federal Forests AG (ÖBf) and BirdLife Austria — is an attempt to find a common approach to nature conservation. 15 % of all forests are state owned via the ÖBf acting as a private business, thus being the biggest forest owner in Austria. Therefore this cooperation can be a benchmark for other forest owners in Austria.

Speaking a common language
An important aspect of our partnership is to raise mutual understanding, for instance on ‘sustainability’, a term used by both sides in completely different ways. We are working towards establishing a common basis for bird protection and models for support measures. While BirdLife defines the scientific criteria for conservation, ÖBf works on the economic and practical framework. The overall aim is to find practical ways for companies to take into account ecological aspects whilst being mindful of market imperatives.

We have so far defined concrete thresholds for indicators such as amount of dead wood or age of stands being crucial for endangered bird species. The threshold values were based on existing literature, BirdLife case studies and a workshop with Austrian and German nature conservation experts. In a second workshop, and in several discussions with ÖBf experts, the practicalities for integrating the suggested conservation measures into the daily routine of forest rangers were carefully evaluated.

Breakthrough
In the next phase of our project, instructions for ÖBf employees will be prepared to implement the selected conservation measures. Implementation will then start in selected forest districts run by forest rangers who are committed to biodiversity conservation. In a second step, these measures will be extended to the whole ÖBf property. Reaching a breakthrough with Austria’s biggest forest owner might then set a trend for further cooperation initiatives.

Gábor Wichmann is Conservation Officer, BirdLife Austria and Gerald Plattner is conservation and environmental officer of ÖBf.