Citizens Biotopes

The project ‘Citizen biotopes – stepping stones for endangered species’ is funded by the Biodiversity Fund of the Federal Ministry for Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management.

Nature-based education, supported by:

Project duration: until 30.11.2025

Project partners:

Tiroler Landesmuseen, MPreis

What are Citizen Biotopes?

A Citizen Biotope is a publicly accessible place in a community—such as a traffic island or the front yard of a school—that participants in the project have selected for site-specific biodiversity promotion.  With the consent of the landowners, they work on this area together over many months. They prepare the soil, plant native wild plants, sow locally and self-collected wild plant seeds, maintain and observe the biotope. In this way, this area becomes a stepping stone and refuge for endangered plants and animals.

The term “Citizen Biotopes” also describes a new and special approach: the Tyrolean Environmental Ombudsoffice brings together citizens of different ages and professions with representatives  from local politics and administration as well as the local economy (agriculture, crafts and industry, nurseries)  in concrete joint activities. Scientists and experts from “partizipation.tirol”  accompany the local meetings. By far the greatest commitment to the citizen biotopes is on a voluntary basis.

Project goals

• Exploring the natural treasures on our doorstep.
• Strengthening and shaping valuable habitats.
• Safeguarding the quality of life in the community.
• Strengthening and spreading of rare species.

Results

• Six action groups of citizens, natural and social scientists, representatives of municipalities, business, and agriculture were active for many months in the regions of Stanzertal, Oberes Gericht, Leutasch, Hall in Tirol/Absam/Thaur, the municipality of Kufstein, and Pillerseetal, volunteering to promote local biodiversity.
• 38 citizens created  2.2 hectares  of biotopes  — equivalent to
  about three soccer fields  — during the  2023-25 project period.
• Participants collected 88 native plant species from 26 hectares of “donor areas”, including 27 species that are on Austria’s Red List according to IUCN criteria. Participants also removed numerous neophytes.
• The participants entered 1,259 observations into the digital nature identification platform and app “iNaturalist.”
• The action groups have cultivated 8,000 seedlings and plants,
  some of which they have even grown themselves.

Take part!

Your ideas and energy are needed to make our citizen biotopes lively and diverse.

Contact