One significant side effect of globalization—particularly international trade and tourism—is the intensifying biological invasion, during which certain organisms arriving from distant lands not only establish themselves in our country but, by proliferating in massive numbers, transform our natural environment. This process has a negative impact not only on our natural heritage but often on agricultural management as well.
A three-day international scientific conference entitled “Restoration of Europe’s Threatened Grasslands” was organised by the Herman Ottó Institute Nonprofit Ltd. as part of the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project, in cooperation with the European Commission and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture.
How can we graze our livestock in a way that improves our soils, enriches our habitats, and also improves the well-being of our animals? Some of the questions are answered by the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture in a new professional publication. This magazine was prepared within the framework of the Grassland-HU LIFE IP project.
Our grassland habitats are not as well known and popular as other ecosystems, but they are just as valuable as our forests and wetlands. Think about it: when we say grassland, most people think of freshly mown lawns in their gardens, but our country is home to such diverse grassland habitats as the Hortobágy salt marshes, the sandy grasslands of the Kishunság, or the marshes of the Őrség, which provide a home or feeding ground for countless species.
The Balaton-felvidék National Park Directorate is expanding with a Grassland Conservation Information Centre in Zalaegerszeg.