Gesäuse National Park - Austria

The Gesäuse is characterised by its extraordinary diversity of flora. Amongst the range of factors responsible for this, a very important part is played by the rock type. The quality of nutriment offered by limestone is, for example, basically better than that provided by silicates. Another very important factor for the high biodiversity of plants is the relief of the landscape. Due to the steepness of the mountains, the sequence of different vegetation types occures within a relatively small area. Because of this concentration of extremely diverse habitats, the Gesäuse is characterized by a high diversity of vascular plants. Within the area of the National Park about 800 species of vacular plants can be found. These belong to 500 genera and 115 families. Beside the bio-geological reasons the last ice age also contributed to this richness. The region was located at the edge of the huge glacier which covered the alps during the Wuerm Ice Age. Therefore, the area was a refuge for many species. This situation during the Wuerm Ice Age is also a reason for the high number of endemic species in the Gesäuse. Differnt types of coniferous and mixed forests are the main vegetation types in the Gesäuse. Above the treeline alpine grassland and rock habitats are the mayor habitat types. Scree slopes reach from high altitudes down to the valley. An interesting characteristic of these streams is the mixture of alpine and lowland plant species because of the sharp change of conditions at the edge of the scree slopes. Sustainably managed pastures also contibute to the biodiversity of plants and are valuable habitats within the National Park. A very special habitat type with highly adapted species are the bogs and springs of the Gesäuse.