Endemiten in Austria

150 plant and 575 animal species are found worldwide only in Austria — they are unique treasures: the endemics of Austria! This means that Austria has the highest proportion of endemic species in Central Europe and at the same time a high responsibility to protect this diversity! Conservation of endemic species and their habitats is a special challenge for nature conservation. A team of 58 experts identified the endemic species of Austria for the first time and summarised their distribution, their biology and hazards. The results of these studies will be presented in 2009 in a book published by the Natural Sciences Association Carinthia. The book “Endemiten — Preciousnesses in Austria’s Plant and Animal World” is published by the Natural Science Association Carinthia with the support of the offices of the state governments of the Länder, the Austrian Federal Forestry, the Ministry of Life and the Federal Environment Agency.