Sheep protect dry grassland near Neusiedl wind park

More than 60 sheep are grazing on five hectares of valuable dry grassland near Neusiedl an der Zaya in the Gänserndorf district, ORF reported. The land serves as an ecological compensation measure for a new wind park and is intended to prevent scrub from spreading.

The pasture is located just a few kilometres from the wind park construction site. EVN spokesman Stefan Zach said the sheep were visibly comfortable there and were naturally carrying out work that would otherwise require machinery.

The land had recently become heavily overgrown, according to EVN. Alexander Ernst, managing director of Leiserberge Nature Park, said sheep were particularly well suited to keeping such areas open. The dry grassland also provides the animals with a varied food supply.

Ronald Bauer, chairman of the Neusiedl an der Zaya agricultural community, described the grazing as a solution benefiting both sides. The animals maintain the land while having sufficient food available.

Dry grasslands may appear unspectacular, but they provide habitats for specialised and sometimes rare plant and animal species. In spring, early pheasants eyes and large pasque flowers grow there, Ernst said.

EVN said dry grassland maintenance was one of several compensation measures linked to its wind power projects. The company’s renewable energy subsidiary currently manages more than 250 hectares of compensation and replacement land in Lower Austria, including areas for European bee eaters and western marsh harriers, as well as a landscape pond for black storks. New projects also include ecological construction monitoring and protective measures during the building phase, the company said.