Project Interreg Austria - Czech Republic 2021-2027 PannFlora

Dear partners and supporters of the Interreg Austria - Czech Republic 2021-2027 PannFlora project,

After the past three months, we would like to inform you about the activities of the PannFlora project so far.

1. Kickoff-Meeting

The kick-off meeting of the PannFlora project took place on 29 April 2025 on the premises of Masaryk University in Brno.

It was attended by 38 representatives from various disciplines from the Czech Republic and Austria.

Daniel Kopkáně from the CzechGlobe Institute for Global Environmental Research of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic opened the event with an introduction to the importance of urban lawns in the context of climate change.

Kateřina Knotková then presented the project and its objectives.

An important part of the meeting were the discussions in two working groups:

·       The first group, led by Jakub Těšitel, focussed on the selection of suitable species for the Pannonian mixtures. Here, experts from the fields of botany, seed production and cultivation came together to discuss cultivation conditions, ecological requirements and the limitations of the various species.

·       The second group, led by Kateřina Knotková, focussed on the needs and possibilities of turf maintenance in the Pannonian region. Representatives from local authorities, the non-profit sector, green space maintenance and landscape architects took part.

The working groups were followed by an excursion, during which experiments with differently mown lawns, the use of semi-parasites for lawn care and specific plant species for the Pannonian mixtures were presented. As a result of this meeting, the basis for cooperation was established, mutual acquaintance and networking between the partners was promoted and a final selection of suitable species for the Pannonian mixtures was made, the legal framework of which is currently still being agreed and finalised.

We would like to thank all partners for the productive cooperation and the opportunity to discuss project activities and thus further advance the project objectives.

2. project meeting in Vienna

At the invitation of our Austrian partner, Bio Forschung Austria, we met on 26 May 2025 at their premises in Vienna.

At this meeting, the focus was on coordinating the collection of seeds, preparing trial areas for pilot implementations and other important project activities, particularly in Austria.

As a result, specific locations for the establishment of trial plots were identified, the procedure for seed collection was concretised and the implementation of experiments and pilot plots was agreed.

3. first seed collections at the CZ-AT border

We are currently preparing the first seed collections along the border between the Czech Republic and Austria. If you are interested in taking part in our collection campaigns or would like to find out more about the process and objectives of this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact us.

You can also find more news and information on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574786324591

or in the project catalogue of the Interreg programme Austria - Czech Republic 2021-2027:
Pannonische Trockenrasenarten für den nachhaltigen Einsatz im Stadtgrün und in der Kulturlandschaft | Interreg AT-CZ

We look forward to further news and a personal meeting!

With kind regards
i.A. Christine Pavitschitz

DI Christine Pavitschitz
Research Associate
Bio Forschung Austria
Esslinger Hauptstraße 132 - 134
1220 Vienna
www.bioforschung.at
Phone: + 43 1 4000 49 162
Email: c.pavitschitz@bioforschung.at