BKS Bank’s Nature & Future account model is now dedicated to preserving biodiversity.

For each new lease, one square meter of dry meadow will be protected for the long term. This is made possible through a cooperation with the Carinthian Nature Conservation Association.
"We are very pleased about this new cooperation, which enables us to contribute to the preservation of important habitats and thus also to biological and botanical biodiversity. At the same time, our customers have the opportunity to automatically make an ecologically valuable contribution with each new Nature & Future account they open," said Nikolaus Juhász, CEO of BKS Bank.

The Nature & Future account is one of BKS Bank's most successful account models. Awarded the Austrian Ecolabel* for sustainable financial products, it has supported the reforestation of local forests over the past four years. "We deliberately searched for a project to support local biodiversity and came across natural flower meadows. After all, they are among the most species-rich habitats in Central Europe and are therefore particularly valuable," says Juhász, who also emphasizes: "As always, we planned this project for the long term."
And we also want to give our employees the opportunity to participate. For example, through volunteer days where the dry meadow is mown or weeded."

Specifically, the Carinthian Nature Conservation Association purchased a protected dry meadow in Galicia. The purchase of approximately 0.46 hectares was financed by BKS Bank. "We are very grateful that BKS Bank made the purchase of the dry meadow in the municipality of Galicia possible. This meadow area is of great conservation importance for both flora and fauna. The sometimes extreme site conditions, such as drought and a low humus layer, promote a variety of herbs and grasses and thus also a high number of insects," said Klaus Krainer, chairman of the Carinthian Nature Conservation Association.

The botanical treasures of this dry meadow are orchids. After the landowner left the meadow uncultivated for years, the site was particularly threatened by overgrowth and scrub encroachment, and thus also the orchid population. The meadow is home to the trident orchid (Orchis tridentata), hybrids with the lesser orchid (Anacamptis morio), and the fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera), all of which belong to the orchid family. Numerous butterflies and praying mantises also populate the area.