New protected area

Carinthia’s Blumenberg as the last witness of its kind

With a total of 73 Natura 2000 protected areas, Carinthia is one of the leading regions in Austria. The province has recently gained another protected area: the Mussen. Carinthia's flower mountain impresses with its biodiversity and is considered one of the last great meadows.

High above the Lesachtal valley, west of the Gailberg saddle at an altitude of around 1500 meters, lies the Mussen, Carinthia's newest Natura 2000 protected area. But the road to the Blumenberg becoming a protected area was a long one. As early as 1995, Austria notified the European Union of the Mussen as a Natura 2000 site. However, the designation was repeatedly put on the back burner by political players - until a few days ago. "Today's decision is a milestone of Europe-wide relevance," says Carinthia's State Councillor for the Environment Sara Schaar, shortly after the designation as a Natura 2000 protected area. But what makes the 378-hectare meadow so special?

Natura 2000

Natura 2000 includes habitats of endangered plant and animal species and their natural habitats throughout the EU. There are currently 73 Natura 2000 areas in Carinthia. They cover around 75,000 hectares of the state's territory.

Habitat for plants and animals
When the Mussen were discovered in 1864, it was not only the farmers of the Gail and Lesach valleys who recognized that the area was a special treasure. Researchers of the time also took a closer look at the slope and discovered something surprising: the wealth of species is unique. Favored by the Mediterranean climate, more than 500 different plant species grow on the Mussen. These include numerous orchid species, such as the Turk's cap lily or the extremely rare lady's slipper.

But not only rare plant species feel at home on the alpine meadow. Naturalists have counted over a hundred different spider species and 670 butterfly species on the Mussen. The 378-hectare area provides a habitat for almost 1100 animals.

Agriculture supports diversity
Among all the creatures on the Mussen is the golden fritillary butterfly. A butterfly that is increasingly threatened with extinction due to the increasing changes in agriculture. However, this cannot happen to the small butterfly on the Mussen. The Lesachtal farmers there still mow the alpine meadow by hand. 

Because they are also aware that such a species-rich and beautiful place can only exist if nature is given its space ...