|Biosphere Reserve Information|
© Photo: Han Q.
This German biosphere reserve is located in the Berchtesgaden Alps (150 km south-east of Munich at the border to Austria) which belong to the northern limestone Alps. It is the only alpine biosphere reserve in Germany with an elevation up to 2,700 meters above sea level. However, the transition zone is situated in low elevated areas (about 500 meters above sea level) in the north of the mountain ranges. Therefore, the biosphere reserve encompasses submontane, montane and subalpine forests and alpine meadows. The core area and buffer zone are identical with the Berchtesgaden National Park with the famous lake Königssee.
About 32,000 people live in the biosphere reserve (1998), who depends mostly on tourism and visitors of a health resort with mineral springs. Small-scale agriculture gives the landscape its characteristical features.
|Major ecosystem type||Mixed mountain and highland systems|
|Major habitats & land cover types||Sub-montane, montane, sub-alpine forests with mountain pine (Pinus mugo), larch (Larix decidua), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and Norway spruce (Picea abies); alpine limestone grasslands; distinct plant communities in cracks and on rocky debris; oligotrophic lakes and running water; grassland farming; forestry systems with spruce, larch, beech and fir|
|Transition area(s) when given||25,925|
|Altitude (metres above sea level)||+471 to +2,713|
|Administrative authorities||Landratsamt Berchtesgadener Land|
Long term studies on climate change
Integrated ecosystem monitoring
Impact of human activities on high mountain ecosystems
Mapping of the different zones of the biosphere reserve
|Abiotic||Climate, hydrology, monitoring/methodologies, soil.|
|Biodiversity||Mountain and highland systems.|
|Integrated monitoring||Impact and risk studies/Environmental impact, integrated studies/interdisciplinaty, mapping, monitoring/methodologies, planning and zoning measures/zonation.|
Berchtesgaden Alps Biosphere Reserve
|Fax||(49.8652) 9686 40|
|Last updated: 3/21/2011|