Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Klima- und Umweltschutz sowie Regionen und Wasserwirtschaft, Abteilung I 7

The Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Climate Action, Environment, Regions and Water Management (BMLUK) is the highest federal authority in Austria responsible for the areas of agriculture and forestry, climate and environmental protection, regional development, and water management. The ministry is responsible for the development and implementation of funding programs to ensure water quality, supply the population with drinking water, as well as wastewater disposal and flood protection. Under the Environmental Promotion Act (UFG) and the Water Construction Promotion Act (WBFG), it annually allocates hundreds of millions of euros for projects in urban water management, aquatic ecology, flood protection, contaminated site remediation, circular economy, and climate-friendly energy production. The ministry regularly publishes reports and technical guidelines, such as the “Federal Environmental Investments” or the “Technical Guidelines for Hydraulic Engineering.” Furthermore, it coordinates research and advisory measures, organizes funding platforms like meinefoerderung.at, and produces technical manuals on topics such as incident management or waterbody maintenance concepts.

The BMLUK is committed to a holistic and sustainable management of natural resources. Its mission is to promote the protection and sustainable use of agricultural and forest lands, the preservation of climate and environment, the strengthening of rural regions, and the assurance of a functioning water infrastructure. Through targeted funding programs, legal frameworks, and technical advice, the ministry supports projects that contribute to climate neutrality, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation.

The funding programs of the BMLUK target a wide range of stakeholders: municipalities and local authorities responsible for settlement water management and flood protection, federal states for overarching hydraulic engineering and waterbody maintenance concepts, businesses and industry for environmentally friendly technologies, research institutions for the development of new solution approaches, as well as private households (e.g., within the framework of social heating subsidies). Additionally, NGOs, environmental associations, and planning offices benefit from the Ministry’s technical guidelines and publications.