The Parndorf Heathland is situated about 1 km east-north-east of the village centre of Parndorf at the north-western edge of the tableland Parndorfer Platte about 3 km east of the utmost spurs of the Leithagebirge Mountains and about 7 km north of the shores of Lake Neusiedl. It is the remaining part of an old ‘Hutweide’ - once covering a much larger area, a pasture on which shepherds in former times tended all kind of livestock such as cattle or horses. Thanks to a population of European Ground Squirrels living there, 7.45 ha of the area were declared nature conservation area in 1992. The western half of the area comprises sub-pannonic grassland forming the habitat for the European Ground Squirrel.

The 6,317 ha large area was nominated or defined respectively according to the Council Directive as well as according to the Bird Sanctuary Directive. Considering the natural area, the North-eastern Leithagebirge Mountains are adjacent to the Lake Neusiedl Area in the south-east, over long distances the lower forest border resulting from utilization forms the border between those two areas. The major part of it, approximately 75%, is covered by thermophilic oak forests and oak-hornbeam forests. Only in the military training area Bruckneudorf and on the southern slopes of the Leithagebirge Mountains towards Jois open cultural areas have been preserved. Richly structured vineyards with copses and scattered individual fruit trees characterize the upper parts of the slopes.

With a total area of 41,735 ha the area comprises the Nature and Landscape Protection Area Lake Neusiedl plus surroundings including the sites of the National Park Lake Neusiedl – Seewinkel. Moreover, the Nature Protection Areas "Hackelsberg“, “Jungerberg“, "Thenauriegel“, "Goldberg“ and ”Pfarrwiesen“ are included as well. As part of the Little Hungarian Plain, the Lake Neusiedl area is adjacent to the eastern edge of the Central Alps. That intersection of pannonian and alpine major landscapes leads to an encounter of animal and plant species of different origins. An enormous variety of different habitats can be found in that area that stretches from the slopes of the Leithagebirge Mountains to the broad plains of the Pannonian region.

The area (SPA) nominated according to the Bird Sanctuary Directive comprises about 3,100 ha and includes the European Conservation Area “Hangwiesen Rohrbach-Schattendorf-Loipersbach incl. Rohrbacher Kogel“ described in the Council Directive 92/43/EEC.