The Metabarcoding Symposium, held on 17 and 18 September 2026 at the Natural History Museum Vienna, was not only a platform for professional exchange, but also marked the beginning of an Austrian eDNA community (provisionally: OeDNA). The symposium was organised by the ABOL coordination team together with Bettina Thalinger (WasserCluster Lunz) and Christoph Hahn (University of Graz).… Read more
How can a country’s biological diversity be systematically documented – and what does it take to turn a research initiative into a sustainable, long-term network?
Since 2014, the Austrian Barcode of Life (ABOL) Initiative has been dedicated to systematically documenting Austria’s animal, plant, and fungal diversity using DNA barcoding.… Read more
Since 2019, the ABOL coordination team has been actively involved in the various Days of Biodiversity, conducting ABOL BioBlitz surveys. These surveys generate DNA barcodes and familiarize experts with this methodological approach. This year’s Days of Biodiversity were once again very popular.… Read more
On September 19 and 20, the GEO Day of Biodiversity, originally scheduled for July, took place on the northern flank of the Mittagskogel in the Karawanks. For many species groups, the peak in species abundance is certainly already over by this time, but others, such as fungi, benefit from this, or different species are found than in summer.… Read more
Fortunately, the weather in the Hohe Tauern was kind to us this year, from July 18-20, 2025. At the National Park’s Day of Biodiversity, in the Gradental and Gartltal valleys in Carinthia, not only was the weather record-breaking, but so was the number of participating experts, with almost 100 registrations.… Read more
For the fourth time (in a row), ABOL participated in the 11th ÖEG Insect Camp from June 26th to 29th with a BioBlitz. This time, the trip took us to the Hohe Wand Nature Park in Lower Austria – a biogeographically highly interesting region on the northeastern edge of the Alps, where the Pannonian and Alpine climates converge, enabling a great diversity of species.… Read more
On June 13 and 14, 2025, the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald organized its 20th Day of Biodiversity– this year in the Lower Austrian part of the biosphere reserve around Baden bei Wien. Around 100 experts from various disciplines explored the diverse flora, fauna, and funga of the area from the Kurpark to the Lindkogel.… Read more
The Days of Biodiversity ’25, which ABOL once again has co-organized, are over. Our thanks go to our co-organizers Biodiversity Hub, BOKU, ZooBot, NOBIS, University of Vienna and NHM Vienna for the smooth cooperation. First and foremost, however, we would like to thank all participants for inspiring lectures, interactive workshops and lively discussion rounds.… Read more
Are names written in the genes? We pursued this question at the Long Night of Museums on Saturday, October 5, 2024, until late into the night!
The ABOL coordination team and the DNA laboratory of the Central Research Laboratories presented DNA barcoding in different aspects and applications.… Read more
The last ABOL BioBlitz 2024 during the Days of Biodiversity took place on the first weekend in August in the Hohe Tauern National Park. In almost traditionally bad weather, around 75 experts swarmed out to record biodiversity in the Habachtal in the Salzburg part of the Hohe Tauern National Park.… Read more
Metabarcoding-Symposium 202624. September, 2026 - 10:33The Metabarcoding Symposium, held on 17 and 18 September 2026 at the Natural History Museum Vienna, was not only a platform for professional exchange, but also marked the beginning of an Austrian eDNA community (provisionally: OeDNA). The symposium was organised by the ABOL coordination team together with Bettina Thalinger (WasserCluster Lunz) and Christoph Hahn (University of Graz).… Read more
A decade of ABOL – new paper!24. September, 2026 - 09:36How can a country’s biological diversity be systematically documented – and what does it take to turn a research initiative into a sustainable, long-term network?
Since 2014, the Austrian Barcode of Life (ABOL) Initiative has been dedicated to systematically documenting Austria’s animal, plant, and fungal diversity using DNA barcoding.… Read more
ABOL-BioBlitzes 2026 – from the river plain to the summit27. July, 2026 - 15:44Since 2019, the ABOL coordination team has been actively involved in the various Days of Biodiversity, conducting ABOL BioBlitz surveys. These surveys generate DNA barcodes and familiarize experts with this methodological approach. This year’s Days of Biodiversity were once again very popular.… Read more
