Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
There are about 1,400 fish-ponds with a total surface of about 1,700 ha. The IBA consists of six discrete areas isolated from each other. Larger ponds often have extensive stands of reed
Phragmites and other aquatic vegetation. Wet grassland, hay-meadows and
Picea forests surround the ponds. The main human activity is fish-farming with some agriculture.
The site is important for breeding species associated with reedbeds and open water. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Crex crex (5-10 breeding pairs).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
There is a conflict between intensive fish-farming and piscivorous birds. Reedbeds are occasionally destroyed to increase the area of open water.
National Low
International High160 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserves (Bruneiteich, 44 ha; Gebhartsteich, 86 ha; Gemeindeau, 30 ha). 3,500 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Waldviertler Teich, Heide-und Moorlandschaften, 54,486 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Fish-ponds in the Waldviertel (Austria). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/fish-ponds-in-the-waldviertel-iba-austria on 22/11/2024.
