Conference in Illmitz

Soda vetch habitat: How can it be saved?

The "Life Pannonic Salt" project will run until 2028. 9 million euros will come from the EU, with a further 3 million from the state, federal government and project partners.

(Bild: Huber Patrick)

The Lake Neusiedl - Seewinkel National Park has been trying to prevent the disappearance of the soda vetch in Seewinkel for years. Now the problem has been addressed internationally. 

The pools in the Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park are salt and soda pools. In order to be able to regenerate, they must at least partially dry out in summer. Only then can the groundwater - if it is high enough - push salt back up from below. This results in the typical salt efflorescence in the varnishes.

This is how the puddle soils first become "dense" and can hold the water when it fills the puddle again. Microorganisms such as prehistoric crustaceans also need this special biological composition of the water to survive. They in turn are food for avocets and the like. 

A cycle that has unfortunately been partially destroyed in recent decades. This is why the Lake Neusiedl - Seewinkel National Park has been running projects for years to show how the lakes can be saved.

International scientific conference
As part of the EU-funded "Life Pannonic Salt" project, a scientific conference with international participation on this very topic has now been held at the Biological Station in Illmitz.

Harald Grabenhofer explained the "LIFE Pannonic Salt" project to the experts in attendance

(Bild: Archiv NP Neusiedler See/ Julian Fözö)

 Experts from Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria discussed the challenges of conserving salt habitats in Central Europe. It emerged that low groundwater levels and a lack of grazing are the main causes of the threat to these unique habitats.

The scientists worked together to develop methods for assessing the status and strategies for protecting the soda pans. Furthermore, an international working group is to be established to discuss issues relating to the renaturation of the Pannonian salt habitats on an ongoing basis.

National park tries to dam up groundwater
"In the "Life Pannonic Salt" project, we are trying to restore near-natural groundwater conditions in the Seewinkel region through damming measures," says Harald Grabenhofer from the Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park. The agriculture of the future is also a topic. As are specific renaturation measures, in which non-native trees are removed to improve the condition of the lakes. 

The "Life Pannonic Salt" project will run until 2028. 9 million euros will come from the EU and a further 3 million from the state, federal government and project partners.