Naturpark Kaunergrat consists of seven protected areas covering 24,000 hectares. They include the extensive peatlands at Piller Saddle, the dry grasslands that shape the landscape of the Upper Inn Valley, and the mountain meadows that have become rare as traditionally managed land. This exhibition is dedicated to these habitats and to the species that live in them.
Between Water and Land
Permanently wet peatlands provide a habitat only for species adapted to this extreme environment. For a long time, people saw peatlands as dangerous and mysterious places that should be drained and put to other uses. Only today do we understand their great importance for climate protection and biodiversity conservation, and the need to preserve them.
Species Richness on Sunny Slopes
Lots of sun, little water, hardly any nutrients: dry grasslands are sparse, yet they are an important habitat. They have been used and maintained as pastureland for thousands of years. In the open landscape created in this way, species richness is exceptionally high. Preserving this diversity is the central aim of dry grassland conservation.
Colourful and Full of Life
Mountain meadows are valuable traditionally managed land shaped by small-scale farming. Cut by hand once a year, colourful and alive with the hum of insects, they are among the defining and especially worthy of protection habitats in Naturpark Kaunergrat.