Trails in the Sand

A Film by Waltraud Paschinger

When gravel, sand or rock is extracted from a quarry, the resulting landscape is often barren, arid and devoid of vegetation - but only at first glance. A closer look reveals a fascinating world: bee-eaters, sand martins, antlions, rare grasshoppers and wasps, endangered reptiles and amphibians all move around among the rocks and piles of gravel, or burrow into the steep sand walls left when when the heavy machinery has done its work. It is the ideal habitat for a variety of plants and animals, providing protection and isolation. Old ponds and pits in quarries are often the only source of water in industrial or agricultural areas, attracting deer, badgers, foxes, frogs, dragonflies and many different bird species.

A coproduction of Interspot Film and ORF in association with the WWF, supported by the Forum Mineralische Rohstoffe.