Wiener Stadtwerke Annual Report 2021
A wide range of initiatives What wildlife lives in our cemeteries?
“The green space in Vienna’s cemeteries provides a valuable contribution to the quality of our air and our quality of life. We can’t wait to learn how many animals, fungi and plants call our land home.”
Vienna’s cemeteries are an oasis for nature – a place of refuge in an increasingly urbanised environment. As such, they offer protected habitats for an abundance of wildlife. But what animals actually live on the land of Vienna’s cemeteries, which are in some parts several hundred years old, and how many of these are there? This is exactly what the Biodiversity in Cemeteries project (Biodiversität am Friedhof – BaF) hopes to find out. In collaboration with Friedhöfe Wien, the team from the University of Vienna’s Department of Palaeontology is documenting not only the animals but also the plants, fungi and everything else that makes up the natural diversity in the grounds of the city’s cemeteries. The residents of Vienna can also support the team and their research by sending in photos or descriptions of things they see.
Renate Niklas Chief Executive of Friedhöfe Wien
Protected habitat Vienna’s cemeteries are not just the capital’s green oases – they are also home to plants and animals.
28
