In the area of European importance Beckovské skalice we cleared the piles of rubble and rocks in the old stone quarry. The piles are made of rubble and rocks left behind after mining. Such spots – when sufficiently illuminated and covered with sparse vegetation cover and exposed substrate – are habitats not only for xerophyte butterfly species, but also for grasshoppers, spiders and Hymenoptera species.
Most species of butterflies, as well as other pollinators, are unable to survive for long periods in small isolated habitats that become overgrown with woody vegetation that prevents access to light.
In 2019, the ground squirrel was listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, and population curves throughout Europe show a continuing downward trend.
Despite these trends, the number of Slovak ground squirrels continues to increase after decades. Thanks to nothing else than the LIFE Sysel project.
Today we planted fruit trees at the Ďurkovec sysľovisko near Tomášovský výhľad in Slovak paradise. It was a great and useful event and we thank everyone who participated. All of us are looking forward to the harvest, both for us and for the groundhogs.
On Saturday 19th of November, together with volunteers we have started working on tidying up the Čiliž brook. The brook flows nearby a landfill in Veľký Meder. The landfill had been closed for quite some time, however, the access was closed only recently.
In august, we borrowed a Microtus minibus from our Hungarian partner Pisztráng Kör. The minibus is an outdoor mobile laboratory for all ages. The van is equipped with all necessary tool to be used by all curious explorer for research of different biotopes and its residents.
In the course of each LIFE project, control monitoring visits are regularly held to monitor whether the activities are progressing according to plan. This year on 11.-13.10. the LIFE Danube Floodplains project was inspected by an external monitor from the NEEMO team.
In March 2017, in cooperation with the local agricultural association, we restored by grassing an area (approximately 23 ha) of waterlogged fields and degraded meadows near the Číčovské dead arm.
At the beginning of October 2022, we organized an expert excursion where we visited sites with significant and extensive restoration measures on the Danube (in Austria) and several sites with implemented restoration measures on the Isar river in Germany.
We invite children from all schools, non-governmental organizations, clubs, centers and associations from the Danube basin to participate in the Danube Master of Art competition, which since 2004 has brought together thousands of children from the countries through which the Danube River flows. The competition aims to encourage children to think about what the environment means to them and to recognize the value and importance of rivers.