One of the main reasons why tourists from all over the world see Austria as an highly attractive place to spend their holidays, is the beauty of its countryside which has been shaped and is maintained by the activities of farmers and foresters. As Austria is lacking wilderness areas agriculture and forestry practices are also important for the conservation of biodiversity. The acceptance of the Austrian agri-environmental program is very high and this promotes a continuous greening of the Austrian agriculture. For example, several measures aiming at reducing negative impacts of agriculture on water quality have already been established. The environmental program consists of 33 measures.
Austrian farmers can select and combine measures in a suitable manner.
Main objective of the agri-environmental program is the reduction of yield intensifying production methods, and by doing so the conservation of natural resources like water, soil, landscape and biodiversity is promoted. Also the maintenance of traditional production systems is one of the declared objectives of this scheme. Thus, on the one hand, pressure towards intensification of agriculture and its negative effects on the environment can be avoided, on the other hand, marginalisation and abandonment of farming in regions where the environmental and rural function of the sector are of key importance should be prevented. With this concept Austria accomplished an essential demand of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio and the 5th Environmental Action Plan of the European Union. As part of the National Environmental Plan, the Austrian government describes a series of environmental policy recommendations to promote sustainable agriculture in Austria.