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The Kocsér Grassland Conservation Management Advisory and Landscape Unit Center's handover ceremony took place on 12th-13th September 2024.

Until the beginning of the last century, when the mechanization of mowing did not begin, it was a slow-paced work process that was done with hand tools and human power. The harvest progressed slowly, in a larger area it could take up to weeks, so freshly mowed, unmowed, and re-sprouted patches were created to varying degrees, creating the most favorable mosaic.

The grasslands must not only be dense, it must also be alive. Nowadays, the main role belongs to modern tools, and grass management can be carried out in a nature-friendly way. Always keep in mind: the grasslands is primarily a habitat! The species living in there, are important participants in the ecological balance, so not only they, but also the crop yield is vulnerable.

In Péter Bacsó's absurdist classic film The Witness, the communist state accuses the protagonist and his disgraced friend of passing "secret messages in ground squirrels skins" to the frogmen. According to the story, the two characters do indeed come into contact with the "dam's greatest enemy, the ground squirrel", beating the crap out of a (european) hamster.

Representatives of the European Commission's Nature Conservation Directorate have arrived in Hungary for a bilateral meeting on the Natura 2000 network. The meeting, which took place on 14-15 February 2024, provided the opportunity to discuss specific nature conservation issues and to present the results of the Grassland-HU LIFE integrated project.

Based on the experiences of the past years, the staff of the Grassland Conservation Management Advisory Service and the Hortobágy National Park Administration summarized the latest nature conservation knowledge regarding the Hungarian grassland management in their smart calendar, which was published as part of the Grassland-HU LIFE integrated project.

On 28 November 2023, the fourth installment of The Secrets of Grasslands photo competition was awarded.Exhibition of the 30 best photos was opened at the Herman Ottó Conference Centre.

Grey cattle will once again graze the marsh meadows of the Nagy-rét at Kölked thanks to the Grassland project. In November 2023, the animals arrived at their new home, the recently opened animal husbandry facility of the Danube-Drava National Park Directorate.

Colleagues from the Slovenian Natura LIFE Integrated Project were hosted by the Hungarian Grassland-HU project team. During the three-day meeting, the experts got to know each other's conservation activities, good practices, and the management and funding possibilities of the Natura 2000 network.

A travelling exhibition of the photo competition A gyepek titkai III. can be seen in the Lászlómajor Visitor Centre and Demonstration Garden of the Fertő-Hanság National Park Directorate until 28 August 2023.

It's time for the first mowing. It is important for farmers to bear in mind that in Hungary, the use of animal deterrent chain curtainare required by law when mowing grasslands and arable lands subjects of either Natura 2000 or Agri-Environmental Payments.

This spring, colleagues from the Hortobágy National Park Directorate again visited the sites of the Grassland-HU LIFE integrated . The project aims the long-term conservation of Pannonian grasslands and related habitats. After the spring rains, our project areas are beginning to regain their original habitat associations, thanks to various habitat management activities.

Although the Red-footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus) are still in their wintering grounds in Africa, we should start preparing for their arrival now. We need to prepare in the same way as we have been doing for the past two decades," say experts from the Bükk National Park Directorate.

The official re-opening of the Strázsa Hill Nature Trail, on July 6 2022, was performed by the Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate (DINPD). The trail has been a popular hiking spot in the area for decadesThe hill and its surroundings still bear the scars of a tumultuous military past, some of which have now been restored.

The Hungarian Natural History Museum’s commitment to the project was primary to prepare multiple-species conservation plans based on previous monitoring programs conducted by the Museum.

Balaton-felvidék National Park Directorate (BFNPD) plays an active role in the implementation of the LIFE IP GRASSLAND-HU country-wide project, which was launched in 2019 and has just reached the halfway point of its 8-year duration.

The 8-year-long Grassland-HU LIFE integrated project has successfully reached its halfway point. The aim of the project is to improve the conservation status of grassland habitats and species, in order to ensure their long-term conservation.

The Herman Ottó Institute Nonprofit Ltd. invited 300 primary school children to get involved in the Day of Birds and Trees on Friday 13th May 2022.

Under the GRASSLAND-HU LIFE integrated project, a one-day online workshop was organized by Herman Otto Institute Non-profit Ltd. on conservation and monitoring of grassland invertebrates of conservation concern and managing their grassland habitats in Natura 2000 sites.

The overall objective of GRASSLAND-HU is to restore and conserve the natural landscape of the Pannonian Steppes, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate intends to report on the status of work and give information about the progress that had been reached on the designated project locations.