The network BiodiversityKnowledge in practice: insights from three trial assessments

In order to develop BiodiversityKnowledge, a Network of Knowledge working at the European science–policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services, we conducted three trial assessments. Their purpose was to test structure and processes of the knowledge synthesis function and to produce knowledge syntheses. The trial assessments covered conservation and management of kelp ecosystems, biological control of agricultural pests, and conservation and multifunctional management of floodplains. Following the BiodiversityKnowledge processes, we set up expert consultations, systematic reviews, and collaborative adaptive management procedures in collaboration with requesters, policy and decision-makers, stakeholders, and knowledge holders. Outputs included expert consultations, systematic review protocols, a group model and a policy brief. Important lessons learned were firstly that the scoping process, in which requesters and experts iteratively negotiate the scope, scale and synthesis methodology, is of paramount importance to maximize the scientific credibility and policy relevance of the output. Secondly, selection of a broad array of experts with diverse and complementary skills (including multidisciplinary background and a broad geographical coverage) and participation of all relevant stakeholders is crucial to ensure an adequate breath of expertise, better methodological choices, and maximal uptake of outcomes: Thirdly, as the most important challenge was expert and stakeholder engagement, a high visibility and reputation of BiodiversityKnowledge, supported by an incentive system for participation, will be crucial to ensure such engagement. We conclude that BiodiversityKnowledge has potential for a good performance in delivering assessments, but it requires adequate funding, trust-building among knowledge holders and stakeholders, and a proactive and robust interface with the policy and decision making communityPeer reviewe

Floodplain management in temperate regions : is multifunctionality enhancing biodiversity?

Background: Floodplains are among the most diverse, dynamic, productive and populated but also the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Threats are mainly related to human activities that alter the landscape and disrupt fluvial processes to obtain benefits related to multiple ecosystem services (ESS). Floodplain management therefore requires close coordination among interest groups with competing claims and poses multi-dimensional challenges to policy-makers and project managers. The European Commission proposed in its recent Biodiversity Strategy to maintain and enhance European ecosystems and their services by establishing green infrastructure (GI). GI is assumed to provide multiple ecosystem functions and services including the conservation of biodiversity in the same spatial area. However, evidence for biodiversity benefits of multifunctional floodplain management is scattered and has not been synthesised. Methods/design: This protocol specifies the methods for conducting a systematic review to answer the following policy-relevant questions: a) what is the impact of floodplain management measures on biodiversity; b) how does the impact vary according to the level of multifunctionality of the measures; c) is there a difference in the biodiversity impact of floodplain management across taxa; d) what is the effect of the time since implementation on the impact of the most important measures; and e) are there any other factors that significantly modify the biodiversity impact of floodplain management measures? Within this systematic review we will assess multifunctionality in terms of ESS that are affected by an implemented intervention. Biodiversity indicators included in this systematic review will be related to the diversity, richness and abundance of species, other taxa or functional groups. We will consider if organisms are typical for and native to natural floodplain ecosystems. Specific inclusion criteria have been developed and the wide range of quality of primary literature will be evaluated with a tailor-made system for assessing susceptibility to bias and the reliability of the studies. The review is intended to bridge the science-policy interface and will provide a useful synthesis of knowledge for decision-makers at all governance levels

Aktuelle Berichte und Forschungsprojekte

Internationale sprachwissenschaftliche Konferenz "Korpuslinguistik Deutsch-Tschechisch kontrastiv" in Sambachshof und Würzburg, 06.-08. Oktober 2009 (Iva Kratochvílová, Norbert Richard Wolf) "Tschechen und Deutsche im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert. Neue Sichtweisen auf alte Probleme." Deutsch-tschechisches Seminar in Sankelmark, 09.-11. Oktober 2009 (Jarmila Jehličková) Von der Grenze zum Dazwischen. Ein tschechisch-österreichisches Projekt zur Grenze und der Veränderung ihrer Wahrnehmung in Wien, 9.-11. November 2009 und Brünn 7.-10. Dezember 2009 (Michaela Kropik, Katharina Wessely) Bericht über den V. Germanisten-Kongress in Sevilla, 16.-18. Dezember 2009 (Fernando Magallanes) Bericht über die Linguistik-Tage in Freiburg im Breisgau, 02.-04. März 2010 (Martin Lachout) Sprachliches Wissen zwischen Lexikon und Grammatik. Bericht über die 46. Jahrestagung des Instituts für Deutsche Sprache in Mannheim, 09.-11. März 2010 (Veronika Kotůlková) "Mittlerin aus Europas Mitte" – 3. MGV-Kongress in Wien, 08.-10. April 2010 (Manfred Glauniger) "Gedichte und Geschichte – Zur poetischen und politischen Rede in Österreich". Tagung der Franz Werfel-Stipendiaten und –Stipendiatinnen in Wien, 16.–17. April 2010 (Roman Kopřiva) Binationales Kolloquium zur Problematik der Migrationsformen im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert in Geschichte und Kunst in Ústí nad Labem, 22.-24. März 2010 und Linz 04.-07. Mai 2010 (Jarmila Jehličková) Ein "hinternationaler" Schriftsteller aus Böhmen: Dritte internationale Johannes-Urzidil-Konferenz in Ústí nad Labem, 05.-08. Mai 2010 (Vera Schneider) "Wir sind Tschechinnen, wir schreiben Deutsch!" – Öffentliche Gesprächsrunde mit deutschsprachigen Autorinnen in Prag, 13. Mai 2010 (Jenifer Johanna Becker) "Überkreuzungen. Verhandlungen kultureller, ethnischer, religiöser und geschlechtlicher Identitäten in österreichischer Literatur und Kultur." MALCA-Tagung in Wien, 22.-25. Mai 2010 (Daniela Drobna, Katharina Haderer, Natalie Lamprecht, Friedrich Teutsch, Esther Wratschko

Historische Landschaftsstruktur und aktuelle Biotopausstattung in vier grenznahen Dörfern am Grünen Band Europas

Die tschechisch-österreichische Grenzregion ist aufgrund einschneidender historischer Brüche besonders interessant für landschaftsökologische Fragestellungen. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht, ob die unterschiedliche historische Entwicklung und die über viele Jahre unterschiedlichen Gesellschaftssysteme in ausgewählten Untersuchungsflächen auch unterschiedliche Landschaften produziert haben und welche konkreten Auswirkungen sich für die rezente Landschaftsstruktur und Biotop-Ausstattung ergeben. Zwei österreichische und zwei tschechische Dorfquadranten mit je einem angrenzenden Umlandquadranten a 500 x 500 m wurden hinsichtlich der im franziszeischen Kataster verzeichneten Landnutzung und hinsichtlich ausgewählter landscape metrics verglichen. Nicht signifikante Ergebnisse deuten sowohl auf einen vergleichbaren historischen als auch auf einen vergleichbaren rezenten Landschaftszustand hin. Die unterschiedlichen Gesellschaftssysteme haben nach 40 Jahren in den Untersuchungsflächen keine signifikant unterschiedlichen Landschaften geschaffen, was auch ein länderweiser Vergleich der SINUS-Landschaftsindikatoren bestätigt. Der hohe Anteil an alten Regenerationsflächen in den tschechischen Dörfern führt jedoch zu einem signifikant höheren Biotopflächenanteil der tschechischen Dorfflächen (Friedman´s ANOVA, two-tailed, x2(3)=11,33; p=0,01), die Umlandquadranten unterscheiden sich nicht signifikant. Ein Vergleich der rezenten Untersuchungsflächen mit ihrer historischen Entsprechung (Wilcoxon signed-rank-test) ergibt eine signifikante Abnahme der Edge density (z=-2,10; p=0,04) und damit eine Abnahme der Strukturvielfalt. Die Landnutzung betreffend kommt es zu einer signifikanten Abnahme der Ackerflächen (z=-2,52; p=0,01) und zu einer signifikanten Zunahme des Wald- (z=-2,52; p=0,01) und des Brachlandanteils (z=-2,52; p=0,01). Die Ergebnisse können als parallele Marginalisierung und Intensivierung der Landschaft zusammengefasst werden: Bevölkerungsschwache und landwirtschaftlich wenig ertragreiche Regionen, wie auch das hügelige Grenzland der Böhmischen Masse, unterliegen einer Nutzungsaufgabe, die sich in der Zunahme von Wald und Brachland ablesen lässt, während die genutzten Flächen intensiviert werden. Insgesamt münden diese beiden Trends in einer Homogenisierung der Landschaft der Grenzregion, die auch europaweit beobachtet werden kann. Länderweise Unterschiede und regionale Eigenheiten sind aktuell kaum auszmachen. Die intensiv genutzte, grobkörnige Ackerbaumatrix mit wenig Kleinstrukturen zieht sich über die Landesgrenze hinweg und enthält nur mehr Reste der alten Waldviertler Kulturlandschaft bzw. die sekundären "Wildnisinseln" der "verschwundenen Dörfer" im heutigen Tschechien. Einer nachhaltigen Landnutzung außerhalb von Schutzgebieten und einer möglichst zielgerichteten Förderungspolitik kommt daher eine besondere Bedeutung für die zukünftige Landschaftsentwicklung zu.The Czech-Austrian border area is particularly interesting for landcape ecology due to dramatic historical changes. The study examines, whether the different historical development and the different social systems have also created different landcapes in terms of landscape structure, habitat area and habitat diversity of selected study plots. Two Austrian and two Czech villages, each represented by a plot (500 x 500 m) covering the village itself and a surrounding plot were compared regarding the landuse recorded in the Franziscean Cadastre (mid of the 19th century) and regarding selected landscape metrics. Non-significant results suggest a comparable landscape structure both for historical and recent times. The different social systems did therefore not create significantly different landscapes in the study area. A country-by-country comparision of landcape ecology indicators (SINUS) confirmes this finding. However, the high proportion of old regeneration areas in the Czech villages led to a significant higher proportion of habitat area in the Czech village plots (Friedman´s ANOVA, two-tailed, x2(3)=11,33; p=0,01), whereas the surrounding plots do not differ significantly. Comparing recent study plots with their historical state the Edge density declined significantly (Wilcoxon signed-rank-test, z=-2,10; p=0,04) and thus the structural diversity in the study area. In terms of landuse arable land declined significantly (z=-2,52; p=0,01), whereas forest areas (z=-2,52; p=0,01) and uncultivated areas (z=-2,52; p=0,01) increased significantly. The development since the mid 19th century reflects marginalization and intensification of the landscape: Weakly populated and agricultural less profitable regions, like the hilly border area of the "Böhmische Masse" are increasingly abandoned, which led to an increase of forest and uncultivated areas. At the same time cultivated areas were intensified. These two trends resulted in a homogenization of the landscape, that can be observed not only in the study area but throughout Europe. National differences and regional characteristics disappeared in the study area to a large extent. The intensively used coares-grained matrix of arable land with almost no small-scale structures, goes beyond borders. It contains only remnants of the old cultural landcape of the Waldviertel and the secondary wilderness of the abandoned villages in today´s Czech Republic. Sustainable landuse beyond protected areas and targeted agro-environmental subsidies will therefore be of major importance for the future landscape development

The Bryophyte Flora of Vienna

The bryophyte flora of Vienna is documented only in parts. Old finds often appeared in publications about Lower Austria; only one study addressed the bryophytes of the inner city. Here, we present a bryophyte flora of Vienna, including historical reports and the results of recent investigations. From 1998 to 2023, we recorded 329 bryophyte taxa in Viennese urban territory. Fifty-six of these were liverworts, and 273 were mosses. Sixty-seven taxa are new for Vienna. Forty-nine taxa, given in historical studies, could no longer be found. If we also count these, 378 taxa occurred in Vienna to date. Of the current occurring bryophytes, 67 species have an endangerment classification. Rich in bryophytes were the dry grasslands of the Lobau, the oxbow lakes of the Lobau and the Prater, and large parts of the Wienerwald. But flat roofs and inner-city areas also showed more than 100 species. Compared to other European cities, Vienna is decidedly species-rich and highly responsible for some species in Austria. Reasons for this are the extensive green spaces and the pronounced climatic gradient from the sub-oceanic west to the sub-continental east of Vienna. Awareness raising for bryophytes we recommend in addition to the existing biotope protection

Climate Variables Outstrip Deadwood Amount: Desiccation as the Main Trigger for Buxbaumia viridis Occurrence

Deadwood is a biodiversity hotspot and habitat for numerous highly endangered species. Buxbaumia viridis has been assessed as a flagship species for deadwood-rich forests and is subject to monitoring under the Habitats Directive, yet we lack a solid understanding of the factors controlling its distribution. The study aimed to specify the climate and habitat preferences of Buxbaumia viridis and identify the best predictor variables. We collected presence-absence data of the species at 201 sites between 2016 and 2020. Study sites cover three biogeographic regions (Pannonian, Continental, and Alpine). They also represent a deadwood gradient ranging from managed forests to natural forest reserves and virgin forests. Our results suggest that desiccation and deadwood amount are the best predictor variables. The amount of deadwood at the colonized sites ranged from 1 m3/ha to 288 m3/ha, with a median of 70 m3/ha. The maximum desiccation, i.e., consecutive days without rain and at least 20 °C was 9.6 days at colonized sites. The results of logistic regression models suggest that desiccation limits Buxbaumia viridis occurrence on deadwood in the drier continental parts of eastern Austria. Derived details on climate and habitat requirements of Buxbaumia viridis can specify management and conservation. They clearly show how strongly the species is dependent on climate, which can counteract deadwood measures

The Fate of Bryophyte Sporophytes—Phenology and Vectors of Buxbaumia viridis in the Kalkalpen National Park, Austria

Knowledge about the epixylic moss Buxbaumia viridis has increased significantly due to the monitoring obligation under the Habitats Directive. However, there are still open questions about its dispersal, as the wind plays a limited role in forest ecosystems, and vectors have been suspected but not yet studied systematically for this species. Here, we present data on potential vectors of Buxbaumia viridis collected for the first time with the help of cameras, completed by monitoring the fate of sporophytes during their life cycle in the Limestone Alps National Park in Austria over a period of two years. Young, green sporophytes appeared mainly in autumn, with the highest number in October. Most of them survived winter and spring but did not exceed the age of 14 months. The sharpest decline in capsules occurred in summer when mature, and the lowest number of sporophytes appeared at the end of August. Most likely, mice seem to be responsible for this loss, as the photos from the wildlife cameras suggest, and should be considered both as predators and vectors. Birds should be considered as vectors, too. In summary, most of the reproductive biomass is sacrificed in favor of more effective dispersal, including over longer distances

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL Open Access

Background: Floodplains are among the most diverse, dynamic, productive and populated but also the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Threats are mainly related to human activities that alter the landscape and disrupt fluvial processes to obtain benefits related to multiple ecosystem services (ESS). Floodplain management therefore requires close coordination among interest groups with competing claims and poses multi-dimensional challenges to policy-makers and project managers. The European Commission proposed in its recent Biodiversity Strategy to maintain and enhance European ecosystems and their services by establishing green infrastructure (GI). GI is assumed to provide multiple ecosystem functions and services including the conservation of biodiversity in the same spatial area. However, evidence for biodiversity benefits of multifunctional floodplain management is scattered and has not been synthesised. Methods/design: This protocol specifies the methods for conducting a systematic review to answer the following policy-relevant questions: a) what is the impact of floodplain management measures on biodiversity; b) how does the impact vary according to the level of multifunctionality of the measures; c) is there a difference in the biodiversity impact of floodplain management across taxa; d) what is the effect of the time since implementation on the impact of the most important measures; and e) are there any other factors that significantly modify the biodiversity impact o