ECONNECT - Improving connectivity in the Alps Implementation in the pilot region Northern Limestone Alps

The three-year EU project ECONNECT with 16 partners was one of the largest international projects for improving ecologic connectivity in the Alps. Gesause National Park was ECONNECT partner and took advantage of the project to initiate a transparent planning process for ecologic connectivity in the region, working closely with Kalkalpen National Park and Durrenstein Wilderness Area and involving a variety of stakeholders to an unprecedented degree. 160 structured interviews and numerous working groups were held. As a result, it was possible to involve several large forest owners in starting a process of promoting near-natural forests in an effort to protect the white-backed woodpecker.