Management of the Long Term Project P/1/21-EU2 "Natural Forest Reserves"

• Conception and implementation of the Austrian Natural Forest Reserve Network. Harmonisation of the national concept with international developments, collaboration with international working groups and research projects.
• Harmonisation of the Natural Forest Reserve Network with international conventions and other protected area concepts (IUCN-Management categories, Alpine Convention, Natura 2000, Life, conservation area concepts of the federal provinces).
• Selection of appropriate forested lands in order to assure a balanced representation of all forest communities occurring in Austria.
• Coordination of civil engineers and technical offices, including those experts of the FBVA who are involved in the project.
• Preparation of tenders, review and interpretation of external expert opinions.
• Consulting services and continued collaboration with all contractors concerned. Expert advice to all public services charged with the technical implementation of the project, such as the Provincial Forest Service, the District Forest Inspection, the Agricultural Chambers and all forest owners concerned.
• Ongoing condition survey and monitoring of permanent observation facilities in the reserves.
• Elaboration of sub-projects on issues such as biological diversity and networking in the field of conservation areas.
• Conception and statistical design of sample grids in standard and main focus reserves.
• Training of internal and external staff involved in the Natural Forest Reserves Programme in terms of data input, expert advice and database management.

Data Base Management

• Systematic establishment of an information and documentation system through the Austrian Natural Forest Reserve Network.
• Conception, establishment and ongoing updating of data bases for the Austrian Natural Forest Reserve Programme.
• Conception, establishment and management of a geographic information system for the Natural Forest Reserve Programme.

Conception and Establishment of Ecological Survey Grids and Reference Plots.

• Identification and description of the forest communities of Austria by means of reference plots in natural forest reserves for forestry, forest area planning and identification of the natural resources. Independent execution of research studies in the field of forest and site ecology. Conceptual design, management and execution of sample surveys on the forest condition.
• Investigations on problems concerning the changes and the vulnerability of biotops, especially in protected areas egulated by conservation laws. Identification of the condition of ecological units, identification of indicators for site diagnosis, interpretation and assessment of the survey, recommendation for the forest practitioner and environmental planning.
• Computer-assisted characterisation of forest communities and development of prediction models.

Biodiversity and Conservation Research

• Taking responsibility for those tasks arising from the Ministrial Conference on the Protection of the Forests in Europe. These are: National coordination of the implementation of Helsinki Resolution H2 (General Guidelines for Biodiversity Conservation in European Forests), Appointment as National Coordinator of Helsinki Resolution H2, as per letter of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of 24 May 1996, Zl. 57.500/04-VB4b/94 .
• Collaboration in international working groups at the expert level in order to implement the resolutions arising from the Minsterial Conference. e.g. collaboration in the ad-hoc working group on the protection of the forests in Europe " “Biodiversity, Protected Areas and Related Issues”.
• Development of strategies for the conservation and appropriate improvement of biodiversity of the forests responding to Helsinki Resolution H2, utilisation of natural forest reserves as reference plots t. Implementation of the contents of the resolution regarding biodiversity and protected areas.
• Target-oriented development of complex evaluation tools (Biodiversity evaluation tools).
• Development of strategies to develop close-to-nature silviculture, deviation of nature-based silvicultural concepts.

Representation of the Discipline at the International Level

• Taking responsibility for tasks arising from the Ministrial Conference on the Protection of the Forests in Europe. These are: National coordination of the implementation of Helsinki Resolution H2 (General Guidelines for Biodiversity Conservation in European Forests), Appointment as National Coordinator of Helsinki Resolution H2, as per letter of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of 24 May 1996, Zl. 57.500/04-VB4b/94 . Collaboration in working groups of the signatory states at expert level for the implementation of the resolutions arising from the Ministerial Conference, Collaboration in the ad hoc working group “Biodiversity, Protected Areas and Related Issues”, Representation of the discipline in international conferences at the scientific and forest policy level (National Coordinator of Helsinki-Resolution H2).
• Conceptual design, programming and implementation of projects and collaboration in working groups, organisation of scientific meetings.

Advisory Services and Expert Opinion

• Consulting services and expert advice for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Provincial Forest Services, the Agricultural Chambers, other services as well as forest enterprises and forest practicioners.
• Expert advice relating to compensation payments in the framework of the Austrian Natural Forest Reserve Programme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, coordination of the experts of the FBVA.
• Verfication of studies carried out by forestry civil engineers concerning their technical and financial correctness and preparation of expert reports on these studies on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Public Relation and Information Services

• Ongoing information services on projects and activities of the Division and the FBVA at seminars, public fairs and other appropriate meetings through presentations, posters, information booths and communication with individuals.
• Ongoing collaboration in public relation activities. Preparation of press activities of the Ministry, selection and preparation of projects suitable for PR-activities, representation in PR-activities through mass media.
• Collaboration and participation in seminars; personal correspondence at the national and international level .