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Natural habitats will be restored, endangered reptiles and amphibians’ habitats will be improved, a wild cat conservation program will be implemented, and invasive tree species will be reduced through the cooperation of the Hungarian-Slovak biosphere reserves alongside the border, revealed the spokesman of Pilisi Parkerdő Zrt.
Péter Mészáros said that the Pilis, Lake Fertő and Poľana Biosphere Reserves are directly involved in the program that will be launched in the next few days with HUF 400 million (EUR 1 million) EU funding, while the Aggtelek and Slovak Karst Biosphere Reserves are involved as professional cooperation partners.
Landscape of the Pol’ana reserve in Slovakia. Photo: Wikipedia
One of the unique elements of the project in Hungary is the designation of a forest area in Pilisborosjenő, where the local community is implementing the so-called evergreen forest management practice, i.e. forest management for nature conservation purposes instead of active timber production, said the spokesperson.
During the two and a half years of the project, natural habitats will be restored in the marshland of Kistómalom in the Lake Fertő Biosphere Reserve and the Hrončiačka and Pstruša wetlands of the Poľana Biosphere Reserve will be reconstructed.
Wetlands in the Lake Fertő Biosphere Reserve. Photo: Wikipedia
In the Pilis Biosphere Reserve, habitats for endangered reptile and amphibian species will be improved, a wildcat conservation program will be implemented, and invasive tree species will be targeted.
In addition, model environmental education projects will be launched, and educational trails and reception centers will be established in the Poľana and Pilis Biosphere Reserves.
The Pilis Park Forest is the only park forest in the country. Its maintainer, Pilisi Parkerdő Zrt., manages 65,000 hectares in the Gerecse, Pilis, and Visegrád Mountains, as well as the Buda, Gödöllő, and Csepel Hills in Pest and Komárom-Esztergom counties. The area is visited by 32 million visitors a year, and almost 20 percent of the area is not used for timber production.
Via MTI, Featured image: Wikimedia Commons