Staff members of the Herman Ottó Institute Nonprofit Ltd., Renáta Bocz (integrated project manager of Grassland-HU LIFE IP) and Olivér Váczi (project leader of CitellusLIFE), discussed this year’s "Mammal of the Year" in an episode of the Greendex podcast. The focus was on a species that is now strictly protected and serves as an essential ecological keystone species for the survival of entire ecosystems.
The professional community of the Vadonleső (Wilderness Watcher) Program has selected the Steppe polecat as the 2026 Mammal of the Year. This community data collection initiative is operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Herman Ottó Institute Nonprofit Ltd., with the cooperation of the Hungarian Natural History Museum and the Budapest Zoo.
It is a well-known fact that the extent of ecologically significant habitat patches in agricultural areas is declining. Recognizing this, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan has announced a new funding opportunity for agricultural land users titled “Investments promoting the creation and maintenance of semi-natural and wetland habitats.” This grant supports the establishment and maintenance of grassy and shrubby strips on arable land, as well as the creation of wetlands on both arable and grassland areas.
On January 14, 2026, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate hosted the first event of this year’s eight-part educational Farmers' Forum series. The forum was organized in connection with the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project.
The outstanding importance of Hungary’s grasslands – as highlighted by Bertalan Balczó, Deputy State Secretary responsible for nature conservation - is demonstrated by the fact that two thirds of the country’s protected plant species and around half of its animal species are associated with these habitats. “The Secrets of Grasslands” Photography Competition was organised for the 5th time with the aim of raising public awareness to ecological importance of grassland habitats.
The training farm of the Kőszeg Lutheran Secondary School—one of the model farms of the GRASSLAND-HU LIFE Integrated Project—has been awarded the prestigious “Meadow Hay of the Year” title. The award was received by the farm manager, Szabolcs Nagy, from Szilvia Orosz, Director of the Feed Analysis Laboratory at the Livestock Performance Testing Ltd.
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.
The Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project is celebrating another significant professional achievement: at the 82nd National Agriculture and Food Exhibition and Fair (OMÉK), one of the project’s demonstration sites, the Horhos Valley Eco-Farm, won the Young Agricultural Professional Grand Prize.
As part of the GRASSLAND-HU LIFE Integrated Project, this year’s volunteer mowing camp was organised by the Herman Ottó Institute Nonprofit Ltd., with professional support of the Duna–Ipoly National Park Directorate. During the six-day program, participants carried out conservation-oriented manual mowing on the protected Göbölyjárás fen meadow, in the Tápió region.
At the latest stop of the model farm demonstration series of the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project, farmers were introduced to the practical implementation of sustainable livestock management at the farm of Róbert Barth. The event served as an excellent example of how nature-based farming can contribute to the wider adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in Hungary.