Summary
In Austria, bogs and peatlands are among the most ecologically and climatically significant landscape and soil types: they regulate the water cycle, provide habitats for specialised species and store large amounts of carbon. Intact moors continuously sequester carbon as new peat forms. Due to historical and current drainage, intensified land use and construction activities, over 90% of Austria’s original moorland has already been significantly altered or lost.
Project description
For Austria, there is no comprehensive survey of these former bogs—taking all habitats into account—in combination with the remaining bogs. As a first step, peatland potential maps were modelled at various resolutions. Based on an expanded definition of organic soils that also takes nature conservation aspects into account, various existing cartographic records (Austrian soil map, financial soil valuation, bog conservation catalogue, biotope mapping, map of organic soils), point data and remote sensing data were used as the data basis. In doing so, a method was developed to make heterogeneous point data sets usable for modelling. Expanding the database with differentiated weighting of the input data sets and a targeted selection of soil-relevant predictors could have significantly increased the precision of the modelling, but this could not be implemented within the timeframe of this project.
Results
A resolution of 25 m is recommended as the ideal grid size for the modelled map. The map generated in this way was validated through an on-site analysis of 100 selected points. It emerged that the map can provide a good indication of the occurrence of former mires, but in its current form as a potential map,
it is not suitable as the sole basis for decision-making regarding possible restoration measures. The indicators for describing degraded mire areas and for assessing whether areas are suitable for rewetting were developed in a joint, broad-based dialogue process. Experts from the fields of science, nature conservation, agriculture and forestry, administration and practice collaborated on this. The indicators were evaluated using expert-based weightings regarding their importance, on the one hand for promoting biodiversity and, on the other, for peat conservation in the context of climate protection. The assessment catalogue developed in this way represents a compromise between practical feasibility and expert judgement.
This assessment approach was translated into a standardised, grid-based GIS workflow applicable across Austria and made available as a structured QGIS project folder. This provides a flexible geo-tool with which results can be visualised immediately, layers combined and adapted to the specific situation using QGIS symbology.
To improve comparability and support strategic decision-making, the results were also evaluated as area statistics across eight suitability classes by NUTS-3 region. For each region, it is also indicated whether the areas lie within or outside the scope of the Austrian Moor Inventory 2025. In addition, supplementary layers on feasibility have been provided as separate information layers; these are not included in the overall suitability index but can be used in a second step as filters or for prioritisation.
These maps cannot replace a detailed ‘on-site’ assessment or site-specific action planning, including consideration of local hydrological and vegetation-specific conditions. Furthermore, potential conflicts of use as well as social and economic aspects must also be taken into account. Ultimately, the decision as to whether a specific area can be restored can only be made on a case-by-case basis.
Project details
Project title: Survey of degraded peatlands in Austria and assessment of their suitability for regeneration
Project acronym: MOIST
Project management: AGES, Dr Andreas Baumgarten
Project partners: Federal Agency for Water Management (BAW-IKT), Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape (BFW), Higher Federal Teaching and Research Institute for Agriculture Raumberg-Gumpenstein (HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein), Nature Conservation Association of Lower Austria, University of Vienna (UNIVIE), Austrian Chamber of Agriculture (LKÖ), Federal Environment Agency (UBA)
Funding: Biodiversity Fund Call#2 of the BMK (contract number C321085)
Project duration: 01.2024 - 10.2025
Last updated: 02.06.2026
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