WWF warns of critical condition of Lower Lobau and criticises City of Vienna

The WWF accuses the City of Vienna of having done nothing for years but produce studies in implementing the EU Renaturation Regulation, instead of taking concrete steps. Alexander Faltejsek of the WWF said, according to APA, that the delay endangers biodiversity in the protected area.

Criticism of the City of Vienna

Already in the 2000s, work had begun on observing the condition of the Lower Lobau and studying it scientifically. Since then, numerous studies had been published, but sustained measures to improve the hydrological situation had failed to materialise.

The environmental activists view it as particularly critical that the Danube can currently no longer continue to flow through the Upper Lobau to the necessary extent. Without sufficient water dynamics, floodplain forest areas dry out, causing characteristic tree species such as white willow and black poplar, as well as fauna tied to wetland areas, to suffer.

The role of the EU Renaturation Regulation

The EU Renaturation Regulation requires member states to restore a good condition of selected habitats by 2030. Austria must, in a multi-year process, report to the European Commission areas and bodies of water that come into question for renaturation measures.

A spokesperson for the responsible bodies said, according to APA, that they were fundamentally open to reporting additional areas. He emphasised that the Lower Lobau was fundamentally suitable for this, provided it could be shown that the goals of the Renaturation Regulation would be achieved through the corresponding steps. He said it was "selbstverständlich möglich, Flächen oder Gewässer im nächsten Verhandlungszyklus mit der EU-Kommission einzumelden."

Demands on politicians

The same spokesperson, Stelzhammer, identified a delaying tactic on the part of the city with regard to renaturation. He said: "Seit den Nullerjahren macht man eine Studie nach der anderen und beobachtet." With this he took up the WWF's central criticism, according to which scientific observation without political action brings no measurable benefit for the protected area.

The WWF demands from the City of Vienna, among other things, the swift restoration of water flow-through and the designation of additional renaturation areas. The European Commission is also observing progress in Austria and could initiate an infringement procedure if measures fail to materialise.

The debate falls in a phase in which the impacts of climate change are additionally putting the floodplain forest areas in eastern Austria under pressure. Lower precipitation and higher temperatures are said to intensify the already problematic drying-out of the Lobau, which is why environmental organisations are calling for more decisive action by the city.