von Kathrin Ebenhoch
June 20, 2024
PLATEAU PIONEER AND EXPERT
The Nature Park Karwendel
The Karwendel Nature Park is a special partner among the Plateau Pioneers: It is both a pioneer and an expert, especially in the field of biodiversity, acting as an advisor and corrective. Being a pioneer is in the association and its employees' blood, just like the honesty that no one is perfect and even the largest protected area in Tyrol still has some homework to do in terms of environmental protection and sustainability.
It's in our blood, so to speak. We believe in our ideals, dare to move forward with them, and persevere even when it gets tough.
Anton Heufelder
Currently, Anton Heufelder is the director of the Nature Park, preceded by Hermann Sonntag, who was a key figure in the sustainability initiative of the Region Seefeld and the founding of the Plateau Pioneers. Together with Franz Straubinger, who initially worked for the Nature Park and later for the tourist board, he got the ball rolling. Becoming a member of the group was then a small step. 'The connection to the tourist board and the businesses in the region has always been close,' says Heufelder, referring to the information center in Scharnitz, which is jointly used by the Nature Park and the tourist board. 'Additionally, it was appealing to contribute our knowledge on environmental protection and biodiversity.' The benefit for the entire group of having an expert and advisor in their own ranks is significant.
Pioneering in Our Blood
The Nature Park is a trailblazer and driver in being a pioneer. 'It's in our blood, so to speak. We believe in our ideals, dare to move forward with them, and persevere even when it gets tough,' says Heufelder. This attitude is not dictated from above; on the contrary, it is based on the flat hierarchy of the association, where everyone has their own responsibilities and can contribute their own ideas. This results in a high level of commitment. In 2015, this led to the WÖFFI project, where all hikes in the Nature Park were coordinated with public transport and described in a brochure; even the guided hikes in the protected area were adapted to public transport. Just a year later, the concept was shared with all other nature parks in Tyrol. By 2024, such an approach seems self-evident, but without the pioneers in Karwendel, this might not have been the case.
Climate Change and Raising Awareness
The focus in the Karwendel Nature Park is on preserving the natural diversity of the Alpine world. In the Nature Park, this means ensuring that nature can develop undisturbed and with minimal human interference. This is no easy task in one of the most popular recreational areas, requiring extensive communication and awareness-raising efforts. The Nature Park is also taking innovative approaches here. A climate education training program was initiated to teach people about climate change and its impacts. 'During the first rounds of training, exciting educational projects like KlimaTop Reither Moor were created and have already been implemented for visitors,' says Heufelder. Education is also a key part of the collaborations with local schools—all schools on the Seefeld Plateau are already designated as Nature Park Schools. This means that students learn about environmental and climate protection topics in class and on project days, experiencing the developments and impacts of climate change firsthand.
You can also be part of the action as a member of Team Karwendel, the volunteer group initiated by the Nature Park in 2012 that actively supports its work. The focus here is on pasture maintenance, which is very time-consuming and often cannot be adequately carried out by the pasture owners. 'Clearing* to prevent overgrowth is essential to maintain biodiversity,' explains the director. 'When you go in a larger group, you can cover a lot of ground in a weekend.' Nowadays, the actions are 'fully booked' months in advance—so many enthusiastic volunteers have been recruited.
Communication on All Levels
Biodiversity is the specialty of the Nature Park. Its source is deadwood in the forest and proper management of cultural landscapes. Therefore, Heufelder, his team, and the Plateau Pioneers are also committed to sustainable agriculture. This includes, among other things, mowing the meadows only once and keeping them clean from dog waste. A prime example of this are the Leutascher Valley meadows, whose richness in species impresses not only experts. Nevertheless, raising awareness is essential here as well. Thus, meadows sometimes perceived by visitors as 'messy' have been equipped with signs saying 'This is not messy, this is biodiversity!' and information flyers have been distributed in all businesses. Additionally, there are guided tours and notices throughout the Nature Park about the behavior rules to properly maintain and preserve the colorful beauty.
Often, it is already too late to intervene on site when thousands of recreational seekers flock to the Karwendel valleys and want to discover the last untouched places. 'That's why we started intervening already during tour planning with our digital ranger,' says Heufelder. Iris Trikha screens social media platforms for posts, tips, and routes that do not comply with the Nature Park rules. If she finds any, she contacts the authors, seeks dialogue, and persuades them; often with success. 'During the COVID-19 period, our gorges were very popular, including camping and campfires (both prohibited),' the director recounts. 'Iris managed to get 80% of the geotags deleted on Instagram.' This spring, a Euregio project for better visitor management was also launched. It is currently in the monitoring phase, measuring visitor flows at critical points, such as the entrances to the Karwendel valleys.
Even with the Plateau Pioneers, sometimes persuasion and guidance are needed. However, they usually approach the Nature Park themselves when it comes to biodiversity. Heufelder and his colleagues then have contacts with experts as well as a few simple tips ready: 'Around the house or hotel, one should create natural, insect-friendly flower meadows. Forests that one owns should be climate-fit and provide sufficient deadwood for woodpeckers and many other species. And in the region, we should all help to raise awareness and support our exemplary managers (farmers).'
Model Student with Homework
Tips and criticism do not stop even at a model student in terms of sustainability. 'No one is perfect, and we certainly still have a lot of potential, especially when it comes to CO2 savings,' admits Heufelder openly. The biggest thorn in the side: the vehicle fleet. As a first step, all employees received a VVT climate ticket and are encouraged to come to work by public transport and use bus or train for their business trips. Next, e-bikes were purchased for the rangers, which they use as often as possible for their trips into the valleys. However, many tasks in the Nature Park still require cars or heavy equipment. 'Switching to a clean solution here will be the task of the coming years.' An equally important and probably much larger task is the pull effect that the Nature Park and Plateau Pioneers need to create together to inspire more and more people and businesses to follow their path. 'Environmental protection and sustainability must not remain stuck in an elite bubble.'
Environmental protection and sustainability must be accessible and understandable for everyone.
Anton Heufelder
You can find the facts in compact form in the fact sheet. Further information about the Plateau Pioneers can be found here.
*Clearing = The removal of unwanted bushes, shrubs and trees on the mountain pastures.
