Biosphärenpark Nockberge: Farming and Wilderness Sharing a Mountain

First protected as a national park in 1987 and redesignated in 2012 as the UNESCO Biosphärenpark Salzburger Lungau & Kärntner Nockberge, the reserve spans roughly 1,490 square kilometres across Salzburg and Carinthia, with about one-third — close to 500 square kilometres — lying in Carinthia's Nockberge. Unlike a strict wilderness park, its management model deliberately keeps traditional Alm (alpine pasture) farming at the centre, since centuries of grazing created the species-rich flowering meadows the region is now known for. Around 26,000 people live within the wider biosphere region, working farms and forestry alongside zoned core, buffer and development areas that balance conservation with local livelihoods.