LIFE-Nature Project
"Pannonic Steppes and Dry Grasslands"

The Pannonic Steppes and Dry Grasslands are “priority habitat types” according to the EU Habitats Directive. Due to their high level of endangerment, the Lower Austrian Provincial Government drew up a LIFE-Nature project for the promotion, development and long-term safeguarding of these habitats. The project was approved in the summer of 2004. The EU bears 60 % of these costs, the province of Lower Austria 37 % and the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management 3 %. In this way fundamental caring and management measures, which serve to preserve these habitats, can be taken by the end of 2008 in some natura 2000-areas.

The Pannonic Steppes and Dry Grasslands exhibit extreme habitat conditions, which result from the arid climate, the low development of the soil and the locations' barren settings. They offer many highly specialized animal and plant species a valuable habitat and are characterised by high biodiversity.

The Pannonic Steppes and Dry Grasslands' endangerment is a result of the change in traditional uses, especially in the fall in numbers of grazing sheep, goats and cattle. The intensifying of agricultural and forestry uses has also led to large scale losses. The area of the steppes and dry grasslands that at one time marked the landscape have shrunk in size to a few hundred hectare during the last decades. With the drop in numbers of open land locations and the change in habitats' features, many characteristic steppe and dry grassland animal and plant species have become rare and are highly endangered.

Natura 2000 is the centrepiece of EU nature & biodiversity policy. It is an EUwide network of nature protection areas established under the 1992 Habitats Directive. The aim of the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It is comprised of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated by Member States under the Habitats Directive, and also incorporates Special Protection Areas (SPAs) which they designate under the 1979 Birds Directive. Natura 2000 is not a system of strict nature reserves where all human activities are excluded. Whereas the network will certainly include nature reserves most of the land is likely to continue to be privately owned and the emphasis will be on ensuring that future management is sustainable, both ecologically and economically.The establishment of theis network of protected areas also fulfils a Community obligation under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.


More informations about the LIFE-Nature Project "Pannonic Steppes and Dry Grasslands (layman's report):

• Brochure "Protection and Maintenance of Pannonic Steppes and Dry Grasslands (LIFE-Nature Project)" (english)


Some informations about the steppes in the pannonic area:

• Book "Slope steppes, loess steppes and forest steppe meadows in Hungary" (hungarian/english)
• Book "Pannonian steppe grasslands in Moravia" (czech/english)
• Book "Pannonian steppe grasslands in Moravia" (english)
• Book "Xerotermné biotopy Slovenska" (slovak/english)