Walter Watzl

The Watzl family specialises in the conservation and restoration of nature conservation areas and implements a variety of measures to promote biodiversity. Extensive grazing and the preservation of autochthonous seeds are particularly important to Walter Watzl. 95% of the grassland is extensively farmed, 50% of the land is flowering land that is mown later than usual or left as old grass strips and fallow land over the winter. A fen has been renaturalised. There are numerous special ecological features on the farm: Corncrakes breed in the meadows, red-backed shrikes benefit from the hedges and bushes scattered loosely across the pastures. Even the now rare whinchat raises its offspring in Walter Watzl's meadows. A few years ago, the Watzl family used photo traps to detect young lynx in the forest, and since then lynx offspring have been documented in the area time and again. The success of the biodiversity measures on the farm can also be seen in the occurrence of rare dragonflies such as the keeled skimmer.