Final report of the evaluation National Park Gesäuse

As Austria’s youngest national park, the Gesäuse National Park, with its educational offerings and outstanding public relations, has set benchmarks for Austria in the spirit of a best practice example. This made it possible to meet part of the region’s expectations of regional value creation and to give the national park a corresponding reputation in the region. The ecological problems at the Enns caused by power plant operation and dams cannot be solved by the national park. Here, the Federal Government, the State of Styria and power plant operators are invited to contribute to the improvement of the current situation. Of course, the National Park Administration still has some homework to do, which consist, in particular, of reducing forest conversion measures and the very comprehensive phytosanitary measures, but also in a consistent revision of wildlife management. An optimisation of the area of research and monitoring and its external representation is also necessary in the future. However, in order to achieve these goals, the Federal Government and the State of Styria, as the bearer of the National Park, have to solve the existing financing problems and design the legal framework in such a way that the national park administration can fulfil its assigned tasks. Solving these problems is the prerequisite for the still young national park to continue its successful path so far.