The National Park idea

The wonders of nature, together with its beauty and unspoilt features, should delight not only the people of the present, but also those of the future. National parks ensure that nature is allowed to develop and evolve as freely as possible without human intervention. Today and tomorrow

In the Thayatal, one of the most beautiful ravines in Europe, this has been happening since 1 January 2000. Austria's Green Canyon represents a unique ecosystem that is not only being protected across borders - in collaboration with the neighbouring Podyjí National Park in the Czech Republic - but is also to be extended little by little. This was the case for the first time in 2012.

However, the area is by no means taboo for humans. The nature of the national parks can be experienced by visitors. Anyone who has breathed in the spicy forest air of the valley, heard the gurgling of the Thaya and obtained an impression of the scale of the Green Canyon from the Umlaufberg will take the Thayatal to their heart just as much as the idea of protecting it over the long term.
"The Thayatal National Park is a real treasure trove of nature that becomes richer and more precious with every year of existence. We are proud to be able to help shape and enable part of the development towards it becoming a wilderness!”
Christian Übl, National Park Director

Tasks & Objectives

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) sets the internationally binding criteria for the establishment of national parks and also defines their tasks and objectives.

Protection of ecosystems and biodiversity
The core task of national parks is to protect valuable ecosystems and preserve biodiversity.

Research
However, national parks are also important research sites for generating reference values for intact nature and for making the importance of uninfluenced ecological processes visible.

Education and recreation
People are welcome in the National Park! Visitors can experience nature up close and learn about its irreplaceable value for our survival.

National park versus nature park

National parks are very different from nature parks. While the latter practise the motto "protection through environmentally compatible use”, in the national park the motto is quite clear: "unaffected nature has priority”. Human intervention is largely avoided on at least 75 per cent of the national park's area. Strict protection regulations apply to this natural zone.

A national park is "an area of land or sea designated to protect the ecological integrity of one or more ecosystems in the interests of present and future generations, to preclude uses or encroachments detrimental to the objectives of the national park, and to provide a base for spiritual experiences and research, education and recreation opportunities for visitors”.
National Park definition according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

From Yellowstone to the Thayatal National Park - A single idea prevails

There are more than 4,000 national parks worldwide, on land and at sea.
The foundation stone for the successful "national park” concept was laid in 1872 with the founding of Yellowstone National Park in the USA. It was the first worldwide, but was not to be the last. Today, there are more than 4,000 of these high-profile protected areas across the planet.

However, it took a while before the national park idea also gained a foothold in Europe. The first European national park, the Sarek in Sweden, was established in 1909. It took several more decades before this happened in Austria. In 1981, the Hohe Tauern National Park was finally founded, the first of six domestic national parks to date.

Previously often regarded as "prevention projects” for economic development, it is now clear that national parks are much more than that. They are havens of nature and species conservation, important research sites, recreational islands for people and now even important economic factors for the surrounding regions.
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