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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.

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.

In accordance with Traditions, this spring the staff of the Hortobágy National Park Directorate held an inspection of the Grassland-HU LIFE integrated project sites aimed at the long-term preservation of Pannonian grasslands and related habitats. Although the spring rains did not arrive everywhere in the project area, thanks to the habitat management works, they were shining in all their glory.

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.

A nyolc éves időtartamú Grassland-HU LIFE integrált projekt félidejéhez érkezett! A projekt célja a gyepes élőhelyek és a hozzájuk kötődő fajok természetvédelmi helyzetének javítása, valamint ezek hosszú távú megőrzése.

2022. május 13-án, pénteken, csaknem 300 általános iskolás korú gyermek ünnepelte a Madarak és fák napját a Herman Ottó Intézet Nonprofit Kft.-ben.

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.

The best 30 images of “The Secrets of Grasslands” photo contest are on display from 31 March, 2022. The aim of the exhibition is to bring people closer to the unique animals that live in grasslands. After showcasing the photos in Budapest, from April, the exhibition will tour around the country.

The LIFE integrated project is halfway through its 8-year duration. During the first cycle of the project, between 2019 and 2020, we focused on preparatory works, while during the second cycle pilot actions were conducted. Where does the integrated project stand now that is coordinated by the Herman Otto Institute with the collaboration of 14 project partners and what are the achievements so far?

The Balaton-felvidék National Park Directorate is expanding with a Grassland Conservation Information Centre in Zalaegerszeg.

Even though the name of the grassland site is Round (Kerek), but it won’t be a forest… shrubs were removed in Kerek Hill in the locality of Bükkzsérc.

As part of the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project, professional and non-professional photographers were invited to participate in “The secrets of Grasslands” Photography Contest. The theme of this year’s contest was invertebrates in their grassland habitats. It attracted 1165 entries, almost twice as much as last year.