3. Spring Week 2009

In July, the third week of spring was held in Gesäuse National Park, with the main objective of supplementing the faunistic surveys of the two previous spring weeks 2007-2008 by gathering in high and highest locations. Based on the yield of the three spring weeks, a thorough overview of the source fauna of the national park is to be prepared and published in the course of 2010. The detection of the fauna at the border groundwater/surface water — according to experience as a focal point of biodiversity in inland water systems — is a per se interesting research project in the interest of the general biological documentation of a mountain system. The evaluation of the results will allow conclusions on the life claims of previously little known species, enable the classification of communities against the background of ecological conditions and create new foundations for the zoogeographic classification of the area within the Alpine region.

In addition, the project creates conditions for long-term environmental monitoring: The information recorded in a database can serve as a basis for future comparative studies. Since sources as climate-sensitive habitats are also a research focus in other Alpine protected areas (Adamello Brenta, Berchtesgaden), the project enables the integration of the Gesäuse National Park into an extensive monitoring network. The following list provides an overview of the sources examined during week 13-18 July 2009 as well as other materials included in the study collected at dates outside the source week.