CITY NATURE

The project focused on developing green infrastructure in the cross-border region across two neighbouring cities in the Twin City region—Bratislava and Vienna. The official naame of the project was "Development of Ecosystem-Based Tools and Services for the Conservation and Restoration of Biodiversity in Bratislava and Vienna".

By implementing appropriate management practices, we increased biodiversity across 11 hectares of meadows, gathered data on the presence of bats, white-tailed deer, and selected insect species in the region, and educated the general public about the importance of maintaining healthy natural areas in cities.

By supporting measures to protect meadows and promote selected animal species, we have contributed to the overall strengthening of green infrastructure in the Twin City region.

One of the project’s key objectives and outcomes was the establishment of the Kamzík Information Center near Bratislava’s famous landmark—the television tower, named after a peak in the Little Carpathians. As a multipurpose facility for education and institutional cooperation, the Kamzík Information Center aims to effectively communicate to the public the importance of nature conservation and species diversity and to actively contribute to these goals. Together with the “Service Center – City Nature” website, it will provide services in environmental education and forest pedagogy. An important part of this recreational and educational complex was the restoration of the arboretum, which was established on a plot of land near the intersection of the roads leading to Kamzík and the cable car.

The project is being implemented as part of the INTERREG V-A SK-AT Cooperation Program and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

Main activities and project outputs

• Mapping of meadows and development of a common methodology and action plan to increase biodiversity: we prepared the “Methodology for the Management of Biodiversity-Significant Meadows in the Neighboring Cities of Bratislava and Vienna: in Slovak, German, and English,”
• research—bats, shrews, and other vertebrates and invertebrates (telemetry, monitoring),
• public involvement in monitoring selected species,
• restoration and management of selected meadows using innovative methods in pilot habitats in Slovakia and in selected meadow habitats in Austria,
• expert workshops in Slovakia and Austria on the restoration and management of meadow habitats,
• creation of the Service Center – City Nature web portal,
• Development of educational programs, services, and training programs for the Kamzík Information Center in Bratislava; 5 downloadable materials in Slovak and 1 in German can be found HERE,
• events to raise public interest—exhibitions, field trips, open houses,
• a short film,
• establishment of the Kamzík Information Center and preparation of 6 programs for schools and the public.

Strategic partners without financial participation

1. Capital City of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava
2. National Forestry Center
3. Malé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area
4. MA 49, Forestry and Agricultural Enterprise of the City of Vienna
5. MA 42 – Vienna City Gardens
6. MA 18 – Vienna City Development and Urban Planning
7. MA 21 – Department of Spatial Planning and Land Use
8. Wienerwald Biosphere Park Management GmbH