Protection for the Vienna Woods: ÖVP initiative inspires the population!

Protection for the Vienna Woods: ÖVP initiative inspires the population!

The “Save the Vienna Woods” initiative has made waves in local politics. This initiative launched by the ÖVP aims to protect the beloved Vienna Woods as the green heart of the city. Penzing National Council member Wolfgang Gerstl is the driving force behind this project, which now has an impressive 2,900 supports. The initiative is now being discussed in the Agriculture and Forestry Committee of the National Council, where legal and technical aspects will be examined in order to develop concrete legislative proposals [meinkreis.at](https://www.meinbezirk.at/wien/c-politik/oevp-bezirks Representative-stellen-voll-hinter-initiative_a7800003).

The need for this initiative is strongly emphasized by district representatives from Hietzing, Ottakring, Hernals, Währing, Döbling, Penzing and Liesing. Stefan Trittner from Ottakring emphasizes how important it is to take seriously the great support of the population for the protection of the Vienna Woods. The importance of the Vienna Woods for the urban climate is particularly emphasized by Oliver Möllner from Währing. Patrick Gasselich from Liesing goes so far as to criticize the current construction as haphazard and to call for a ban on new construction activities in the Vienna Woods. Daniel Resch from Döbling also sees this initiative as an opportunity to improve the quality of living, while Manfred Juraczka from Hernals is calling for the Vienna Woods to be more closely integrated into the city's development goals. These voices show how much the concerns of a broad audience move politics [meinkreis.at](https://www.meinbezirk.at/wien/c-politik/oevp-bezirks Representative-esten-voll-hinter-initiative_a7800003).

A long road for nature conservation

The history of the Vienna Woods as an area worthy of protection has long been known. As early as 1872, the mayor of Mödling, Josef Schöffel, was able to prevent large parts of the forest from being sold to timber dealers. Over the years there have been repeated initiatives and petitions, such as that of Günther Schlesinger, who pushed for the protection of the Vienna Woods after the First World War and handed over a petition with around 200,000 signatures to the mayor of Vienna in 1931 naturschutzbund.at.

With the recognition of the Vienna Woods as a biosphere park by UNESCO in 2005, another important step was taken to protect this unique natural region. In view of climate changes, nature conservation has the highest priority in the area of ​​the biosphere park naturschutzbund.at. These developments illustrate the urgent need for action to sustainably preserve the valuable forest and meadow areas.

Current developments in the National Council

The initiative has already gone through several parliamentary discussions. It was initially assigned to the Committee for Petitions and Citizens' Initiatives on September 26, 2022 and has since undergone several consultations during which written statements were obtained. Committees dealt with the initiative on December 6, 2022 and again on March 22, 2023, while the meeting has been postponed again and again in recent months, most recently on October 5, 2023 parlament.gv.at.

The demand for stricter regulations on construction in the Vienna Woods is clearly articulated by the actors. These initiatives, together with the commitment of citizens, remind us that protecting nature is everyone's responsibility. The forwarding and discussion of the initiative in the committee is seen as a milestone success and is seen as an example of successful civic engagement [meinbezirk.at](https://www.meinbezirk.at/wien/c-politik/oevp-bezirks Representative-esten-voll-hinter-initiative_a7800003).