Q&A with Doris Pennetzdorfer, the Environmental Umbrella Organization (Umweltdachverband), Austria. Photo credit: Julia Spicker
| The Environmental Umbrella Organization (Umweltdachverband) has turned 50 years old this year. What is its mission, and how has it evolved over the decades?
The Environmental Umbrella Organization started in 1973 as ÖGNU (Austrian Society for Nature and Environmental Protection) during the emergence of ecological thinking: There was the first-ever Environmental Minister at that time, and the nature and environmental protection movement was forming and organizing itself.
As an umbrella organization, we aimed to consolidate the forces of our member organizations, present a strong voice for nature and the environment, and act as a “public conscience,” as the first president of ÖGNU, Herbert Moritz, put it.
This public conscience is still one of the most important roles of the Environmental Umbrella Organization, which over the years has become an indispensable part of a critical, environmentally conscious public.
Two years ago, in a branding process, we subjected our self-concept to strict scrutiny and found that our mission has not changed significantly: We advance environmental and nature protection in Austria.
However, what is extremely important to us in our work, and what, I believe, sets us apart from many NGOs, is our “HOW”: We rely on dialogue. Together with our member organizations and various stakeholders from politics, administration, business, and science, we develop practical solutions. We stand for solution-oriented approaches that are feasible.
We see ourselves as bridge builders, initiating dialogues and acting as mediators in conflict-ridden areas of environmental and nature conservation.
Finally, this self-understanding comes from our own DNA: Our member organizations are very diverse; we have conflict-laden issues within our own ranks and are always striving to find common ground.
| The Environmental Umbrella Organization has 35 different member organizations. How exactly does the association support these?
Each of our member organizations is an expert in its field. Through internal networking, we have an incredibly diverse and comprehensive expertise. We consolidate this knowledge and disseminate it through project work, educational initiatives, and public outreach to all those advocating for nature and environmental conservation – or those who may still impede it.
Furthermore, we support our member organizations in topics where the engagement of a single organization alone is not feasible due to resource constraints. The issues have multiplied since our inception. Environmental policy is not only shaped at the regional and national levels but also at the European and global levels. Here, to the best of our ability, we support the interests of our member organizations in advocating for nature and environmental conservation.
Our member organizations benefit from our extensive network and the diversity of topics. At the heart of our work is the commitment to preserving biodiversity, full-fledged efforts towards climate protection, the expansion of a nature-compatible energy system, promoting a circular economy, driving education for sustainable development, and – as the carrier of the Alpine Conservation Commission CIPRA Austria– protecting and sustainably developing the Alps.
Additionally, the Environmental Educational Forum (Forum Umweltbildung) serves as the service center and innovator for education for sustainable development, while the EU Environmental Bureau acts as the central interface and information platform for European and national environmental policy within the Environmental Umbrella Organization. Moreover, we are a member of the Austrian Rural Network.
| What projects and milestones do you consider to be truly remarkable successes of the association?
Successes in nature and environmental conservation are usually the result of teamwork involving multiple stakeholders. As team players, we do not seek to exclusively claim these achievements as our own. Nevertheless, I believe that in many areas, we play a significant role. For instance, in the establishment of various national parks and the creation of Natura 2000 areas, a network of European protected areas, we have been instrumental.
In the realm of “use and protection,” we are highly active and successful. I deliberately emphasize the term “and” because, apart from the need for protected areas to preserve largely untouched nature, habitats, gene pools, and biodiversity corridors, we live in a highly modified cultural landscape.
Our vision is a world where humans live in harmony with nature. This means that not only do humans have their rightful place in nature, but nature itself holds an absolutely important value. To maintain and protect this value, we have achieved several milestones:
We are part of the Austrian Rural network and chair the “Environment, Biodiversity, Nature Conservation, Climate Protection and Change support Group”. This is about the implementation of the Common European Agricultural Policy (CAP) at national level. Therefore, we aim to harmonize nature conservation and agricultural use to the best extent possible. We have, for instance, helped to ensure that 10% of agricultural land is allocated to species conservation in the form of flowering areas, significantly more than in the rest of Europe.
Alpine pastures, in their known form, are not viable without management but often serve as hotspots for biodiversity. Hence, our project portfolio includes grazing projects and raising awareness on this subject.
Sustainable forest management is another major focus area. We not only have relevant member organizations but also collaborations, contributing biodiversity criteria to the PEFC Austria label for climate-friendly, sustainable forest management.
Additionally, we have been the commissioning organisation of the TRIGOS, Austria’s most significant sustainability and CSR award, for many years. Here, we evaluate projects of companies that take a leadership role and demonstrate exceptional sustainability and corporate social responsibility practices, particularly in climate and biodiversity conservation and the implementation of a circular economy.
We have published a timeline with significant milestones of our work on our website.
| What challenges does the Environmental Umbrella Organization face, and what would be necessary to support your work in addressing them?
The urgency of successful nature and environmental conservation is still vastly underestimated by many. It’s no longer merely about losing a colourful flower meadow where our children pick beautiful bouquets for us. Rather, by exploiting and destroying nature, we are jeopardizing our own survival.
While the climate crisis has gained some recognition in our minds, the complexity of the biodiversity crisis remains challenging for many to grasp. Understanding the complexity and urgency of this issue is a significant challenge in discussions.
Additionally, we constantly face resource shortages. Nature conservation remains a vastly underfinanced sector of our society. We possess many concepts and valuable expertise that show us ways to live in a secure, ecologically diverse, and healthy environment, enabling sustainable economic practices and future-oriented lifestyles. However, we often lack financial resources.
Therefore, not least due to the urgency of our subject areas, we have been calling for years for basic funding in a similar way as other interest groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce (WKO) and the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV). This could enable us to appropriately contribute our themes to the societal discourse.
Furthermore, for our work, we need companies that don’t view nature solely as a cost-free resource but are also willing to invest in it. By investing in meaningful conservation measures within their own sphere of influence and contributing to nature, these companies ensure that this resource doesn’t dry up.
| What significance do collaborations with other organizations have for the work of the Environmental Umbrella Organization?
Ambitious goals for nature and the environment can only be achieved together.
A holistic transformation of our society, our actions and our economy into a sustainable form that also allows future generations to have a livable future is not a task for individual sectors. It can only succeed through the collaboration of all facets of our lives.
It’s pointless and naive to believe that we, as nature conservationists, can dictate what needs to be done – without the willingness of companies, politics, and administration to join this path, we cannot achieve enough.
Cooperation is precisely what we urgently need at this moment: it’s the consolidation of comprehensive knowledge and expertise, it’s an inter-sectoral collaboration, it’s a view beyond our own horizons towards the bigger picture.
Cooperation requires courage, openness to new and unfamiliar things. Ultimately, we should all benefit from a successful collaboration.
| The United Nations General Assembly declared 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Specifically, this is intended to be implemented by implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework from Kunming-Montreal. How do you assess the outlook for nature conservation and achieving these global goals?
It’s a motto, an incentive. It would have been better and financially cheaper not to destroy ecosystems in the first place – but in many cases, that’s now lamenting over spilled milk.
Restoration after years of destruction and consumption of natural resources at the expense of the public and future generations is more urgent than ever. However, success requires honest, ambitious will, and flexibility. The motto of the last decade was biodiversity – 10 years dedicated to protecting biodiversity. Nevertheless, species extinction is proceeding rapidly and unabated, showing no sign of losing momentum. Despite strict nature conservation regulations, Austria is not an environmental model country, as highlighted in the European Environment Agency’s report “State of nature in the EU” in November 2020: Austria ranks second to last out of 28 countries examined.
Albert Einstein is believed to have said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” A new motto can raise awareness of an issue among people, but it’s not enough. We must consider very carefully what needs to be done and be willing to change habits if the familiar doesn’t lead to the desired success. However, I am confident that as humans, we fundamentally possess all the abilities necessary for a change in direction. We just need to want it and then actually implement it!
| brief bio
Doris Pennetzdorfer: Education in Ecology at the University of Vienna, specializing in Limnology and completing a thesis during the establishment of the Danube-Auen National Park.
Professional experience spans both non-profit and private sectors, focusing on Marketing, Communication, and Corporate Consulting.
Joined the Umweltdachverband in 2019 as Head of Cooperations & Advocacy.
| about
As a non-partisan platform, the Umweltdachverband represents 35 environmental and nature conservation organizations, as well as alpine associations, comprising approximately 1.3 million members from across Austria.
The Umweltdachverband advocates for sustainable development, particularly ensuring people’s right to live in a healthy, ecologically diverse environment. This right encompasses the protection, thoughtful design, and enhancement of the environment, considering the welfare of future generations. The organization’s objectives include promoting tasks related to nature, environmental and landscape conservation, as well as fostering activities that raise awareness about environmental preservation and sustainable use. The Umweltdachverband focuses on key tasks such as climate protection, advocating for a nature-friendly expansion of renewable energies, nature and water conservation, preserving biodiversity, and supporting the sustainable development of rural areas. For further information, please visit www.umweltdachverband.at.
| All opinions expressed are those of the author and/or quoted sources. investESG.eu is an independent and neutral platform dedicated to generating debate around ESG investing topics.
