• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2000 baseline)
The Wachau, part of the Danube valley, is characterized by rocky slopes and cliffs. Land-use in the Wachau is mainly vineyards and orchards on the slopes, with arable land on the valley floor. Extensive areas of forest also remain on the slopes but native broadleaved species have been replaced with Picea. The Jauerling, a low mountain to the north-west of the Wachau, is covered by non-native Picea forests, interspersed with patches of broadleaved forest and grasslands.

Key biodiversity
The site is important for species characteristic of open woodland, non-intensively managed orchards, rocky slopes and cliffs.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Wachau (Austria). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wachau-iba-austria on 23/11/2024.