During the construction of a power plant in Stegenwald (Salzburg), the administrative court has revoked the nature conservation permit. There is a partial construction freeze. Several animal species were insufficiently documented in advance. Among them is a cute rodent, the dormouse.
Aren’t the reddish little creatures with the big button eyes cute? Dormice are not real mice at all. They belong to the bilches, a group of rodents, and live hidden all year round in up to six different nests made of leaves, leaves or fine grass. The “Animal of the Year 2023” feels particularly comfortable in dense woody structures.
During the construction of the Salzach power plant in Stegenwald, insufficient research was done to determine whether the habitat of the dormouse was also affected. Artificial nest tubes are usually used for documentation. Regulations would have been necessary in Stegenwald, according to the administrative judge, who revoked the nature conservation permit. “It concerns other animal species. These are important for the functioning of ecosystems and their services for people,” says state environmental lawyer Gishild Schaufler.
The construction of the power plant is an obstacle to amphibians and reptiles such as yellow-bellied toads and sand lizards, but also to forest-dwelling bird species such as red-backed shrikes and woodpeckers – how big, it is said, has not been studied enough.
River engineering measures and nature conservation works such as gravel islands or fish passages will be stopped.
Source: Krone
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