Paradise for kingfishers

Alpine river to become a green eco-jewel again

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Bernhard Huber, Imre Antal)

Two red mayors now see "dark green" in the kingfisher paradise Pielachtal - and have high goals for the once untouched Alpine river. The "Krone" was on site in the floodplain!

Widening the right bank and raising the river bed, dismantling bank protections and structured redesign, promoting self-dynamic river processes and creating new habitats for flora and fauna - all of these ecologically sound and well thought-out measures are intended to restore the once heavily obstructed Pielach in the district of St. Pölten to what it once was - namely a rushing mountain stream, which ultimately continues to meander as a majestic Alpine river in its lower reaches.

55 hectares are being renaturalized
Mayor Rainer Handlfinger (SPÖ) from Obergrafendorf and his party colleague Michael Strasser have joined forces in a major environmental project to revive this wet paradise. "A development corridor more than 100 meters wide will be created along a 5.5-kilometre stretch between our communities. The renaturation area covers 55 hectares," say the local leaders at the local inspection of the "Krone" in the Au.

What touches the green heart: 18 landowners have provided land for the sensational project, either by swapping, selling or compensating. Landowner Ludovico Tacoli zu Friedau played a major role in the creation of a new kingfisher and huchen paradise.