Kalkalpen Nationalpark

This is the largest remnant of original beech forest in the Alps. Three quarters of the valuable unexploited beech forests are older than 140 years. At the higher altitudes, pure beech forests merge into mixed beech forests. A distinctive feature is the pronounced mosaic of different beech forest types: from thermophilic forms with Christmas rose to forms with cyclamen in the higher altitudes. In high snow pressure, the beech shows dwarfed and deformed growth. In gorges, the beech is crowded by sycamore, European ash, and wych elm, and in valleys with cold air it is replaced by natural spruce forests. Around 1.500 butterfly species, 6 woodpecker species, 17 bat species have been documented, including 41 primeval relic beetle species typical for primeval forests and many endemic species.

• UNESCO recognition: 2017
• Protected area: Kalkalpen National Park
• Beech forest region: Alpine
• Area: 5,251.67 ha
• Number of component parts: 4
• Altitudinal range: colline to high montane (396 – 1,963 m above sea level)
• Fauna: Golden eagle, European lynx, Rosalia longicorn beetle, White-backed woodpecker, autochthonous trout, western barbastelle