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Natura 2000 and economy (2016)

Client: Vienna University of Technology

In connection with the designation of Natura 2000 protected areas, there is often discussion about the extent to which this causes economic disadvantages for the respective region. The study examined the regional economic effects of Natura 2000 protected areas on agriculture, forestry and tourism. Using concrete data, it was shown that the designation of Natura 2000 areas which are naturally located in peripheral and rural regions, generally leads to neither noticeable positive nor significant negative regional and regional economic effects. The structural problems of the mostly rural Natura 2000 communities are neither significantly exacerbated by the designation of protected areas nor are they solved either. In individual cases designation can lead to negative effects, e.g. in the area of agriculture or when businesses expand, but can also contribute to positive regional effects, e.g. through agricultural subsidies or landscape conservation for tourism. Regional economic considerations as core arguments for or against the establishment of protected areas are not of central importance on this basis. The study was carried out in collaboration with the Vienna University of Technology and Univ. Prof. Dr. Gottfried Haber from the Danube University Krems and completed in 2016.




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