Trails of hidden life - Involving Citizen Scientists to show the biodiversity at Viennese cemeteries

Abstract

Death and mourning -that is probably the general population's predominant association with cemeteries. However, they equally provide a habitat for a diverse range of animal, plant, and fungal inhabitants. The cooperation of the Austrian Citizen Science projects Stadtwildtiere and Biodiversität am Friedhof (BaF) have been documenting species at native resting places since 2021. With a total of 57 cemeteries in the city of Vienna alone, the active research area spans an enormous and therefore significant distance for biodiversity research in urban environments. Thanks to the cooperation of the public, including citizen scientists, numerous reports are available that even document previously undiscovered creatures in the cemetery areas opening up a multitude of avenues for nature conservation measurements.