In August of this year, we were happy to announce the release of a herd of 20 cows on Apál Island. After several years of preparations, negotiations with farmers, processing permits, building fences and securing the overall infrastructure, we managed to restore the pasture that was once common here.
Works on D2a weir started in autumn. Construction of culvert will ensure flow of water into the currently dry branch which is connecting the Bodícke and Šulianske river branch.
We are very pleased that, after a long period of processing approvals, construction permits, procurement of a supplier, in accordance with the technical documentation, work aimed at restoring water flow of the E3 weir on the line E of the Danube river branch system is under construction.
Those who knew the Danube and its branch system before the construction of the Gabčíkovo waterworks, knew what the so-called Danube gates are and where they are located. Of course, they were not real gates, but just a name for the connection of the main flow of the Danube and its branch systems.
Slovakia is the only country in Europe where the European Roller (Coracias garrulus) has returned to breed after being locally extinct for 10 years—thanks largely to dedicated conservation efforts.
The aim of the proposed measures of the LIFE WILDisland is to contribute significantly to the restoration of lateral connectivity and the improvement of the water regime in the area of the Medvedovská river branch system.
We continued with the monitoring of amphibians at the locations of Dobrohošť, Kráľovská lúka, Bakanské rameno and its surroundings, Istragov and Dedinské ostrovy.
Three expert teams carried out inventory/mapping of butterflies in the 10 Natura 2000 sites. This involved 37 transects, each surveyed during 3 different periods, in order to identify species with varying flight times.
Installing nest boxes, artificial nests, and platforms is a well-established conservation practice supported by both science and experience. Across Europe and in Slovakia, such interventions have helped secure breeding sites for rare bird species that otherwise lack suitable natural options due to habitat loss or degradation.
One of the more than a hundred locations where we have restored grazing so far is the Dolné lazy protected area. It is located at the southeastern foothills of Považský Inovec above the small village of Závada. It consists of famous orchid meadows with a lot of junipers, which gradually disappeared in the shade of…