We would like to share with you what we managed to achieve last year in terms of water revitalization, restoration of meadows and pastures, floodplain forests, and protection of ground squirrels and turtles. If you look at the report, you will see how much work, volunteer help, and support from you, individuals, or companies, is behind it.
If clogged side arms of the Danube need to be cleared of sediment and accumulated debris (massive trunks, branches, plants, trash, etc.), simply ordering an excavator and starting to dig isn’t enough. Preparation for this type of restoration measure takes months – ranging from identifying problematic locations, geodetic surveying of elevation profiles and topography, and modeling/predicting the impact of clearing on water flow dynamics, to administrative and permitting processes, securing funding, contractor procurement, and the actual field work.
Every record counts. Whether you are an experienced naturalist or simply walking along the river with your phone, you can help us track the spread of invasive alien species in protected areas along the Danube. All you need is the iNaturalist app and a curiosity for the natural world.
In April 2026, part of our team travelled to the Netherlands for a three-day study trip, visiting partners, experts and projects that left us with a set of fresh ideas and inspiration to carry into our future work.
As part of the project Improving the water regime of the Danube river branches, under the Swiss-Slovak Cooperation Programme, 6,400 saplings of native tree species (white poplar, black poplar, black alder) were planted in the spring of 2026.
Last week we co-organized and hosted the Study Tour 2026 of the European nature conservation network Eurosite at our sites. This week-long study visit was attended by representatives of Eurosite member organizations as well as individual supporters — 21 participants in total from ten organizations across Europe.
The LIFE Danube Floodplains project has been nominated for the prestigious European LIFE Awards 2026 in the Nature and Biodiversity category. In collaboration with Slovak and Hungarian partners, the project succeeded in restoring the water regime of the Danube side arms, securing regular simulated flooding following the construction of the Gabčíkovo dam, and implementing a range of measures to protect and restore floodplain habitats. The public can support the project by voting in the Public Choice Award category.
Just across our border lies the unique region of Hortobágy, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In April, we travelled there together with farmers and mayors from southern western and eastern Slovakia, to see firsthand what a successful integration of agriculture and nature conservation looks like in this iconic steppe landscape.
This spring, one of the most encouraging signs of success has appeared on sites we have been restoring within the LIFE Sub-pannonic project – pasque flowers have started to bloom. These iconic species of dry grasslands are among the first to respond to improved habitat conditions.
On 4-5 March 2026, our partners from the Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre SAS (PSBCSAS) had the opportunity to present the LIFE Resistance project at an important international gathering, the conference Invasive Alien Species in the Danube Region: IAS of Regional Concern, held in Hungary.
As part of the LIFE Resistance project, an exceptional collaboration was created, bringing together honest craftsmanship, nature conservation, and a social dimension. The result is a product that warms not only your head, but also your heart.
In the open landscape of Slovakia’s lowlands, where the LIFE Steppe Birds project operates, rows of ancient pollarded willows are truly irreplaceable. To us they are a beautiful part of the scenery, but for the European roller and the red-footed falcon, they are strategic sites for life itself. To ensure these trees continue to serve their purpose in 2026 and beyond, we need to give them their characteristic “crown”.
Last week we celebrated World Wetlands Day! On February 2, we celebrate the crucial role wetlands play for both our planet and its people.
The results of the 2025 breeding season came as a very welcome surprise. This year we recorded 38 territories and 36 breeding pairs, the highest number in the past quarter century! Thanks to systematic monitoring, we have now confirmed a positive trend in the number of breeding pairs for the fifth consecutive season. One of the most colourful birds in our landscape is making a remarkable comeback.
A key part of our LIFE Endemic PANALP project, focused on restoring thermophilous and xerothermic grassland habitats, is cooperation with local farmers. Thanks mainly to this collaboration, we have so far managed to reintroduce or expand grazing on more than 240 hectares across 28 sites, stretching from Devín to Súľov. Our goal, of course, is…
From October 24 to 28, 2025, together with the JARO Conservation Group, the Administration of the White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area, the local NGO Pre Prírodu, and the Faculty of Science of Charles University, we organized the volunteer Mission APOLLO 25. This event continued the well-established tradition of joint work for nature in the unique…
After more than a year of effort and work, the technical documentation for the revitalization project in Klížska Nemá is complete. In cooperation with designers from SVP and experts from the Water Research Institute (VÚVH), we have managed to design a series of measures that will help create “wild” islands on the main channel of…
A new chapter has begun in the wetland near Čiližská Radvaň – since the beginning of August, cows have been grazing on an area of 107 hectares, playing an important role in the restoration and protection of one of the most valuable wetland habitats in southern Slovakia. This site was only recently saved – thanks to the financial support of the public, who contributed to its purchase. Since then, it has officially become part of the Natura 2000 site Čiližské močiare. However, buying the land was only the first step – what matters most is its active management.
We successfully completed the Annual activity report for the year 2024. Our ambition in creating it is to provide a comprehensive overview to our supporters, benefactors, and the general public about our activities throughout the year 2023.
Colorful meadows and pastures were not always a given. Their emergence was linked to the development of agriculture in the Neolithic period. People needed to create areas without forests for raising livestock and growing crops.
In 2024, the LIFE DIVERSEED project was in full swing. The main objective was to collect seeds that the project partner Agrostis would grow to create the first regional seed mixture intended for the restoration of grassland habitats up to an altitude of 1,000 m.
We have started a new approach to tackling one of the most problematic invasive woody plants in the Danube Floodplains: the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). This time, however, we are not using chainsaws or chemicals. Instead, we are bringing in nature’s helper: a fungus from the genus Verticillium.
Team members from Plant Science and Biodversity Cente SAS have started monitoring vegetation in Čiližské močiare and Istragov. At both of these sites, we plan to bring in livestock in the near future to help with suppression of invasive plant species.
The product Ailantex, a biological agent for controlling the invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), has been approved for use in Slovakia starting this year. This is a breakthrough in the fight against this aggressive invasive tree, which has spread to many areas of Slovakia in recent years and causes serious problems in natural habitats, urban edges, and protected areas.
Last year, as part of the LIFE Endemic PANALP project, we began restoring a small but beautiful and valuable site in the heart of the White Carpathians. The area was declared protected primarily due to its geological uniqueness, but it also hosts rare dry and thermophilic “orchid” meadows and juniper stands. That is, until recently…
We’re delighted to announce that after two years of preparation, traditional grazing has finally returned to Molpír Hill. The revival of this prehistoric hillfort site is the result of collaboration between local farmer Mr. Matiašovič and the municipality of Smolenice, and is being carried out as part of the LIFE Endemic PANALP project. Since last…
Restoring overgrown sites is far from a simple or quick process, despite how it might seem at first glance. Typically, the first practical step involves thorough clearing of the area—removing invasive or non-native trees and shrubs, clearing biomass, and often stump milling. In some locations, we also use an earth milling machine on a limited…
Few people know that the Súľov Mountains hide one of Slovakia’s rarest botanical treasures. Beneath the iconic rocky towers lies a multitude of small valleys, and one of them stands out for its exceptional orchid species diversity. Within an area of just 0.1 km², at least 22 species grow here, some of which are extremely…
When we say “endemic plant,” most people think of species like Daphne arbuscula, Onosma tornensis, or the Slovak pasqueflower (Pulsatilla slavica). Only few, however, know the Moravian ragwort (Tephroseris longifolia subsp. moravica). Yet this is an extremely rare member of the aster family that blooms only at the turn of May and June, on just…
The ZooLab team from the Plant Science and Biodiversity Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences has started eDNA (environmental DNA) sampling at our site in Čiližské močiare. This marks an exciting step in our ongoing efforts to monitor impact of our measures aimed to boost wetland biodiversity.
The project is holding community meetings underway to present the project to farmers, and to discuss with farmers who will be involved in habitat restoration. ADEPT held meetings with local actors, in Bobâlna and Agârbiciu communes, to identify and discuss habitat restoration efforts, including 120 ha affected by bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) and 4-5ha of haymeadow invaded by scrub.
During their traditional migratory stopover, a flock of black-tailed godwits landed at the Ostrovik meadow in the SPA Senianske rybníky.
The European roller is the flagship species for nature conservation in Slovakia’s steppes—rare cultural landscape habitats whose fate lies in human hands. The future of this species and others like it depends on the actions of farmers, conservationists, and policymakers.
From March 24–27, 2025, we participated in the CEE InterLIFE Platform Meeting in Balmazújváros, Hungary.
The first meeting of the Young Ranger Club took place this autumn! During the meeting children engaged in hands-on nature conservation through the one-day event in the field. The children together with their teachers visited one of our project sites by boat where they took part in fun, age-appropriate biotope restoration tasks.
In the months of February and March we are collecting in selected stands of the Forest Management Units Čalovo, Gabčíkovo and Šamorín, located near the original channel of the Danube River, root samples for the investigation and subsequent testing of the application of mycorrhizae in the cultivation of seedlings that will be used for the restoration of natural forest stands.
Dobrá Voda is one of the few villages that lie hidden in the middle of the massif of the Little Carpathians. In the past, most of their territory did not provide a very suitable environment for people to farm other than forestry, and so they settled rather on the edges of this mountain range. What…
One of the main measures of the project will be the restoration of wetlands by creating 3 new water areas on the Slovak side and restoring 2 earth-filled cut-off river channels on the Hungarian side. These will provide suitable habitats for the European pond turtle and at the same time promote better water retention in the landscape during dry periods.
The first step for the successful implementation of the project in the Slovak region was the preparation of a hydrological study. From the results of the study, after several expert consultations, the designers elaborated the proposed measures in the form of technical documentation.
Wetlands with an undisturbed water regime play an irreplaceable role in the ecological stability of the landscape. In addition to their ability to effectively retain water in the landscape over the long term, they are also able to host rare and scarce species of animals and plants.
SOS/BirdLife Slovakia invites you to take part in upcoming volunteer events within the LIFE 4 STEPPE BIRDS project focused on monitoring and helping steppe birds.
The Steering Committee of the LIFE Resistance Project convened for its first meeting on 19th of November, bringing together representatives from eight beneficiary organizations to discuss progress, achievements, and future plans.
Our project partner, László Szomolányi, has introduced water buffalo grazing on a 12-hectare area in October 2024, marking a significant step towards habitat restoration and biodiversity enhancement.
Above Podmanín, at the piedmont of Manínec and Veľký Manín in the Strážovské vrchy, lies a small, open hillside that, at first glance, may seem dry and lifeless. But appearances can be deceiving—these warm, sunlit slopes are bursting with life. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of warm-requiring species thrive here, including rare insects, plants, lichens, fungi,…
Hrehorkové, a Site of Community Importance (SCI), is one of the youngest protected areas in the Biele Karpaty. Located on the sunlit limestone slopes near the village of Mikušovce (Ilava district), it was designated as a protected area in 2018, covering 12 hectares. By then, however, the once-open landscape had become overgrown with shrubs and…
Just as humans have carved their own paths through nature, nature, too, has created its own unique routes. The southern edge of the Javorníky Mountains is home to the Pieniny Klippen Belt, a stunning limestone ridge that stretches from Myjava, across the Polish Tatras, through Humenné, and all the way to Romania. These rocky formations…
The quiet settlement of Horná Pustá Ves is hidden away in the northern part of the Brezovské Karpaty, within the Prašník municipality. Surrounded by the limestone peaks of the Malé Karpaty, this area has a rich natural and cultural history. People settled here as early as the Paleolithic era, evidenced by the remains of an…
Last year, in the Site of European Importance ‘Holubyho kopanice’ in the White Carpathians, we focused on clearing several springs and travertine marshes of invasive woody plants, maintaining infiltration pits, and hand-mowing meadows in their vicinity. These rare wetland habitats are inaccessible to larger machinery, which led to the abandonment of management practices, gradual overgrowth, and subsequent drying out.
On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, we organized a seminar at Beckov Farm as part of the LIFE Metamorphosis project focused on sustainable deworming of livestock. This is a method of protecting animals from parasites that takes biodiversity conservation into account. Entomologists Ľuboš Víťaz and Tomáš Olšovský, farmer Ivana Kodajová, and the director of the Institute…
Currently, 70 new nest boxes are being installed on power line poles in the SPA Medzibodrožie area. The European roller didn’t nest in Slovakia for a full decade after 2010.
The project logo has an organic character. It symbolises life regardless of its form. The graphic design depicts a sign thrown into the water, which slowly dissolves and also refers to the rewetting of the sites. It does not have clear lines and the letters connect to each other.
We could now gladly inform, that the main project objective – to restore the key natural habitats of Danube floodplains and to introduce sound sustainable management – was achieved.
Various types of man-made barriers such as dams, weirs, steps, fords, culverts, etc. create obstacles in streams and cause water levels to rise. This creates non-native lake ecosystems with many negative effects, above the barriers due to the slowing of the flow and below the barriers due to the disturbed water regime and sediment transport regime.
Although we do not commemorate October 28 as a national holiday in Slovakia, the legacy of the first common republic is still alive for many of us. This also applies to Czech conservationists from the JARO Group or scientists from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Charles University. They decided to spend their extended October…
The reintroduction of the protected species Pseudophilotes bavius and Phengaris teleius began in the Romanian project sites in 2023. In the following season, several individuals of Ph. teleius were observed in sites near Angofa, thus the reintroduction effort for this species can be considered successful.
Today we opened another restored side arm within the Danube inland delta. We have thus released water into a 4.4 km long section of the river branch and into the wetlands and depressions that this strem feeds.
As part of the LIFE Endemic Panalp project, we are successfully continuing the restoration of flowering meadows and traditional pastures. Most recently, thanks to the project, after many decades, farm animals are grazing again in the saddle below Chmeľová, which is the second highest peak of the White Carpathians. It is interesting that a very…
This year, we successfully completed the Annual activity report for the year 2023. Our ambition in creating it is to provide a comprehensive overview to our supporters, benefactors, and the general public about our activities throughout the year 2023.
Last week, together with the Záhorie Protected Landscape Area Administration, we organized a team-building event for employees of Kaufland Slovakia. We took them to the Kyseľová Nature Monument in Kopanice. This site is part of the project because it is home to rare butterflies such as the Clouded Apollo, the Sloe Hairstreak, and the Large Copper.
Experts László Rákosy and Andrei Crișan conducted 2 workshops at Luna de Jos in August 2024. The first focused on moth diversity with 120 participants, while the second addressed protected butterflies in the cultural landscape, attracting 34 participants.
During the last week of August, we hosted an international youth camp at Molpír near Smolenice village in Small Carpathians. It was organized by the association Strom života (Tree of Life) and almost 30 young people from Slovakia, Finland, the Netherlands and Greece came to it. With our joint efforts, we managed to clean more…
At the beginning of September we actively participated in the meeting of project partners from the Danubeparks network of protected areas in Tulcea, Romania. In addition to updates, progress and new challenges in the ongoing LIFE WILDisland project across the whole project consortium, we had the opportunity to visit valuable places in the Danube Delta and selected project sites near Isaccea, where floodplain revitalisation is underway.
During the last week of August we hosted an international youth camp on the Molpír hill near Smolenice. It was organized by the Tree of Life association and nearly 30 young people from Slovakia, Finland, the Netherlands and Greece came to participate. Together we managed to clear more than a kilometre of corridor, where we…
Last weekend, SOS/BirdLife Slovakia organized the 21st volunteer camp to mow Bird Island in the SPA Dunajské luhy. Despite the heat and hard work, 45 participants mowed and raked nearly the entire island.
Two flocks of sheep and goats are roaming the meadows and hills of the Beckovské skalice nature reserve throughout the season. They extensively graze the meadow habitats, which our colleagues take turns replotting, so that they mosaically graze some of the vegetation and leave some of it.
The roller has appeared in western Slovakia—this time near Bratislava. This increases the chances of its return as a breeding species in the region. This is clear proof that our conservation activities, including those under LIFE 4 STEPPE BIRDS, are working.
On Friday 26.7.2024 we completed the revitalization of the lower part of the Čiližský stream with the final dig.
It was done following a number of measures we have taken to gradually improve the flow of this important 35 km long stream in the Danube region.
On July 15, 2024, at Kráľovská lúka, we started the test filling of the renewed side arm in the section from the inlet of the Baka branch system to the first culvert.
Mossy Earth has released the 7th video about our joint revitalization of the Istragov wetland. Duarte returned after 2 years to check what impact this revitalization had on the fauna and flora.
Mossy Earth made a great video about our project dedicated to butterfly conservation which they supported financially. Check it out!
As we do every year, in the spring and summer, our ground squirrel team captures ground squirrels at sites with stable populations and transports them to genetically poor or newly established sites.
This morning, 65 ground squirrels were captured and are currently being transported to sites in the White Carpathians and Podunajsko region.
The works in the middle part of the arm, with aim of connecting the two side branches to the stream, is already finished, the water has flowed in here and is full of life – fish, frogs, snails, dragonflies…
Among the countries where the European roller went extinct, only Slovakia has successfully brought it back. The LIFE 4 STEPPE BIRDS project plays a vital role in this story.
Water is currently flowing into the inland delta of the Danube due to a summer simulated flood. We reached the highest flow in the last 19 years—120 m³/sec. Such a flow was requested as part of the petition for the preservation of the inland delta of the Danube in 2020, and since then, we have raised the demand at every meeting with water management officials and the Ministry of the Environment of Slovakia, which oversees these matters.
Our project LIFE Endemic Panalp, aimed at the protection of several endemic species and habitats of dry grasslands, has recently moved into the second half. So, what did we achieve during the first one? First of all, in the Strážovské vrchy, Považské Inovec, Malé and Biely Karpaty, we restored a total of more than 80…
A European roller was seen hunting above a biostrip near Šoporňa. The sighting during the breeding season shows there’s hope it could return as a nesting species—if we help with targeted conservation measures.
The revitalisation of the old Danube side arms can be called in one word “process”. Just as their degradation has been gradual, due to modifications for navigation, their revitalisation in places where it makes sense for valuable floodplain forest habitats, birds, fish and amphibians, for groundwater recharge and flood protection for us humans, will be gradual.
At the beginning of May, as part of a project with the financial support of the Tipsport Foundation, we organized an educational excursion in the form of a boat trip for students of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University. The students had the opportunity to float the restored sections of the river branches, learn more about the problem of simulated floods and get to know the fauna and flora of the Danube floodplain forests more closely.
On May 21, as part of a project with the financial support of the Tipsport Foundation, together with mayors of municipalities, employees of the Ministry of the Environment, district offices and the Water Research Institute, we got into the boats in Medveľov and from there sailed to the Klúčovec branch system. These are locations where BROZ restored the water regime in the past.
We went to Brussels as finalists and we are going home as finalists. Although we did not win the Natura 2000 award, it was an honor for us to participate in this prestigious European competition and to be among the 6 nominated projects in our category. He won an Irish project where conservationists helped to change the setting of subsidies for farmers, so that they could manage Natura 2000 areas closer to nature and not be deprived.
In May, together with the stakeholders of the Microtus II project, we went to get inspired to the Šumava National Park. The study tour was attended by representatives of the Ministry of the Environment (MŽP), Slovak Water Management Enterprise(SVP), Water Management Construction Enterprise (VV), Water Management Research Institute (VÚVH) and the Dunajská Streda district office.…
The European ground squirrels are animals that live in large groups. In ideal conditions, they will grow to several thousand members and gradually colonise the surrounding landscape, provided it is suitable and there is low vegetation – grassland, or mown lawns or meadows.
The Southern festoon, a rare butterfly species of European importance, is bound to the warmest regions of Slovakia. The development of its monophagous caterpillars takes place on the Aristolochia plant. The restoration of these plants by direct sowing is possible, but time-consuming. However, they reproduce very well by rhizomes.
Throughout spring, meadows with the presence of ground squirrels bloom in abundance. Ground squirrel habitats are usually pastures, so this suitable combination of inter-species cooperation bears its fruit.
Although its Slovak name evokes a close relationship to blackthorn, the eastern eggar females lay eggs primarily on hawthorns.
This butterfly is one of the few that lays its eggs in the fall and they spend the whole winter on the shrub.
If you are looking for a blossoming cherry in May (at least here in Slovakia), you will find it in the White Carpathians in the protected area Vršatské bradlá. And with it also living mowers – a herd of goats and a few sheep. Grazing started exceptionally here already in April in two reserved plots.…
The red-footed falcon has been chosen by SOS/BirdLife Slovakia as Bird of the Year 2024 to raise awareness about the importance of its protection. These falcons travel over 7,000 kilometers from Africa to their breeding grounds—facing many dangers along the way.
In order to be able to implement targeted conservation measures for the protection and conservation of endangered butterfly species, it is necessary to know as many locations of these species and their host plants as possible at the current time. We are turning to you – nature lovers, who would like to help us with butterfly mapping.
In the middle of the forests around Plavecký Peter village in the Small Carpathians, you can find the remains of rare grassland areas on stony slopes with beautiful solitaries of oaks, interspersed here and there with viburnums or hawthorns. In many places, however, this original beauty was literally swallowed up by artificially planted non-native black…
After years of targeted work on pasture restoration in areas of European significance, we have faced many smaller and larger challenges. Overcoming them was often not easy. However, our motivation has always been and remains the springtime.
The team of the LIFE Panalp project spent the third Saturday of March on the cliffs of Vršatské bradlá protected area. Here we were joined by approximately 30 volunteers who wanted to help us to save one of our most endangered butterflies – the mountain apollo. Together, we managed to clear the sawed-off branches on…
During 12.-13.-3. the visit of the project monitor and the representative of the European Commission took place for the purpose of checking the LIFE Danube Floodplains project.
We are proud to announce that we have been nominated among the 27 finalists in the European competition NATURA 2000 Award 2024!
In the past, the Vojčianske side arm was part of the so-called of the inland Danube delta – a system of free-flowing river branches. After the construction of the Gabčíkovo Water Works, most of the water was diverted to the hydroelectric power plant through the supply channel, which resulted in cutting off the entire branch system from the Danube.
The current spring simulated flood of the inland Delta is occurring very early this year, with high flows set at its onset. For which species is this beneficial?
On Saturday 2.3. the flow rates through the Dobrohošť inlet facility begun to raise. Here the water flows into the left branch system of the Danube, the so-called inland delta with the aim of connecting this rare system of river branches and wetlands to the Danube water.
In addition to the design of revitalisation measures, the preparatory phase of the LIFE WILDisland project also included scanning of the project areas using LiDAR technology, which works on the principle of transmitting light pulses.
On 6th of February 2024 BROZ organized a final conference of the LIFE Danube Floodplains project in the Congress Centre Divoká Voda, under the title We Restore the Heart of the Danube Floodplains.
In collaboration with farmer Arnold Dócs, local enthusiasts, and tremendous support from OZ SAVE NATURE, we helped remove this picturesque pasture from Invasive alien plant species, as well as shrubs and dense woody vegetation.
We had the honor of participating in a roundtable discussion with European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, and fellow nature conservation NGOs at the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia.
The ground squirrel team is working hard on clearing the beautiful, grike ground squirrel field in Tisovec, abundant with rocks and biodiversity.
Last year, we managed to successfully collect €100,000 to save a wetlands, launch several projects, release sturgeons into the Danube, restore grazing in several locations and even change the name, logo and visual identity.
Our team is definitely not sitting idle, they’re running over the sleeping ground squirrels’ heads and working on clearing future pastures. For example, on the Muránska plain. You surely know the ground squirrel site Biele vody, which is very popular for the purpose of observing and “feeding” ground squirrels, sort of like a ground squirrel safari.
For example in the Tisovský kras area:
A local farm has also recently had its grike fields excluded from subsidies. This story is familiar to many farmers and can shuffle the financial stability of many of them.
Rehabilitation of the water regime of the lower Vojčianske side arm is our biggest restoration in the area of the Danube inland delta so far. That’s why it deserved a short video contribution.
We have completed the BROZ Annual report for 2022. We decided to issue such a report for the first time in the history of our organization to inform our supporters and the general public about our year-round activities for 2022 in a summary document. It took us quite a while, since, as you will see…
We didn’t sit idle even this winter and continued to clear meadows and former pasture forests in the natural reserve Beckovské skalice from overgrown shrubs.
On Wednesday, November 29, a meeting of the project steering committee members took place. Thirteen participants attended the meeting, including seven members of the steering committee. Together, we visited the successful implementation of project activities in Čiližské močiare.
Competition for water is high in the Danubian Lowland, especially during spring and summer. During those seasons, the water from the melioration canals is used to irrigate the surrounding fields.
This weekend, we were once again restoring grazing at Drieňové. In cooperation with a local farmer, staff from the Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area, and volunteers, we cleared an overgrown pasture near the village of Petrovce, removing invasive shrubs and black locust trees.
Over the course of the last two centuries, people gradually changed the Danube branch system by building protective flood dams, regulating the Danube bed for navigation conditions, and later also using the river for energy purposes in connection with the construction of an artificial navigation channel (Gabčíkovo waterworks).
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…
In the second workshop on cleaning the Čiližský stream and plans for the restoration of adjacent wetlands, we completed the removal of waste in the vicinity of the former landfill at Veľký Meder. After opening the natural mouth of the Čiližský stream and restoring the flow to the stream, we prevent the movement of waste downstream
The dikes in the basins of our rivers are important bio-corridors. They often serve as eco-stabilising features and centres of biodiversity in the surrounding, agriculturally intensive landscape.
Our LIFE Endemic PANALP project is approaching its halfway point, and we are very happy that we are succeeding in fulfilling one of its main goals – the restoration of traditional grazing on rare drought-loving grassland habitats in the Small and White Carpathians and the Strážovské vrchy. In the last-named mountain range we have returned…
The autumn days from October 11th to 13th were marked by an active exchange of experiences in the management of valuable biotopes, where grazing is well combined with nature conservation. Together with stakeholders from Life-Subpannonic and Life-South, we embarked on a field trip to Hortobágy National Park.
Mossy Earth, an organization that partially funds our rescue trapping of the European ground squirrel, made a beautiful video about this adrenaline-pumping activity.
Many insect species are tied to a specific habitat at the forest-meadow interface. In the past, this boundary was nowhere as clear and straight as it is today. The transition from meadow to forest used to be loose, sometimes only a few trees, sometimes tens of metres wide and had a woodland character.
We are writing this post in response to the attacks that we’ve been facing in recent days, directly or indirectly, on ourselves and our conservation projects, which we have been working on systematically for a long time.
On Friday 9th of September 2023 we took part in the prestigious event European night of researchers. It is an action that promotes science and research and organizations and institutions that either collect data, analyze it or use it in their practice.
Also this year, in the summer months of July and August, we again organized six rounds of children’s camps on Veľkolélsky ostrov Island, with facilities at Ekofarm Ostrov.
The international LIFE WILDisland project brings together 15 partners from eight countries from Bulgaria to Germany. One of the very worthwhile and valuable traditions of the project is the annual meeting in the home country of one of the partners. This year we at BROZ had the honor to prepare an unforgettable experience for all of us in cooperation with our colleagues from Fertö Hanság National Park.
Thanks to 1076 supporters, we managed to collect the targeted amount. We are very happy that in approximately 10 months we managed to collect up to 100,000 euros and even a little more for the purpose of nature protection – saving the wetland in highly productive agricultural land.
Each of the locations included in the Subpannonic project can boast of natural beauty that has the potential to attract many tourists. However, these are often areas that are not very well-known among tourists. How to kickstart tourism in such regions?
The last Thursday of September was spent by the team from our LIFE Panalp project in Smolenice, where Toyota employees and we prepared the ground for the restoration of grazing on the Molpír hillfort. Together, we managed to peel the bark off the stakes along the entire route of the fence, install insulators on them…
The Súľov hills are famous not only because of picturesque sceneries of rock gates and towers, but also because of a wealth of rare flora and fauna. Among other things, they were known among botanists in the past as a famous botanical site.
The best examples of successful revitalization measures, discussions with experts, advice on what to avoid and what works well and in the long term, new professional contacts with representatives of various institutions, the opportunity to discuss current challenges. All this on the spot, with your own eyes, ears and skin. These are all reasons why…
Mossy Earth made a great video about our common project- wetland restoration in Istragov. About the wetland and its life and biodiversity and how it is evolving within the first year after first flooding.
If you wanna check their professional video-production, check this great and well explaining video
At this site in the area of European importance Holubyho kopanice, the management is made more difficult by the occurrence of the large copper (Lycaena dispar) and the Jersey tiger (Callimorpha quadripunctaria), each of which has different requirements, host plants and we want to accommodate them all. We really have to proceed slowly, working by hand, at different times and in small areas.
After several years of efforts, negotiations with farmers, administrating permits, building fences and placing a well with watering holes, on August 15 we managed to bring cows to Apál Island, located at the confluence of Váh and Old Nitra rivers.
In the area of European importance Beckovské skalice there are also colourful meadows, which were restored by the State Nature Conservancy in our joint project LIFE Butterflies CR-SR, which ended in 2016. They have been mowed annually since then by the administration of the White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area.
Despite the intense summer heat, 39 dedicated volunteers—members and supporters—joined us once again to lend a hand. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed under such challenging conditions.
Rescue trapping of ground squirrels near the Bratislava airport will soon be completed. You are looking at one of the last squirrels from this capture. We recently wrote about our colleagues from our ground squirrel conservation project who have been trapping ground squirrels there to save them because there is going to be construction on this site.
We are changing pipe culverts to frame culverts. We are following with this activity on Vojcianske side arm
After we restored the arm in 2013 and dug another inflow channel last year, it is necessary to check the species composition of the fish. And that is happening right now – experts, ichthyologists from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University are conducting such monitoring these days. They catch, identify, measure and…
This confirms that some species are already discovering that we’ve cleaned this site up. Do you still remember what “hilltopping” is? This summer we were delighted to see this animal, the Macaronius owlfly (Libelloides macaronius), which seeks out unvegetated elevated areas within the range of its occurrence for mating flights.
It is not any news that the largest population of ground squirrels in Slovakia lives at the Bratislava airport. Well, these squirrels naturally also run into the open countryside from there, and the mowed grass meadows between the technical buildings provide them good living space.
Small-scale wetlands in agricultural landscapes are not only important for amphibians, birds and mammals, but are also home to many species of butterflies and insects. Orchids and other rare plants often grow here. In Holuby’s Kopanice, a site of European importance, we also find burnets (Sanguisorba) which are host plants to the rare Blues butterflies.
We exchanged knowledge with experienced colleagues from the administration of the Hortobágy National Park and NGO: Hortobágyi Környezetvédelmi Egyesület-Hortobágy Environmental Association.
On the occasion of the International Danube Day, a rich accompanying program was prepared for schools. At the BROZ stand, children had the most fun filling in thematic worksheets, where they learned a lot of interesting things about floodplain forests and Danube fish, putting together huge puzzle of a large Danube sturgeon fish or a photo booth with a large catfish.
BROZ is the coordinator of the Danube Art Master competition in Slovakia, a competition that since 2004 has brought together thousands of children from the countries through which the Danube River flows. The aim is to encourage children to recognize the value and importance of rivers.
On Wednesday, June 14, 2023, a total of 20,000 small sturgeon juveniles were released into the Danube as part of the LIFE Living Rivers project. Sturgeons were released in three localities of their natural habitat – below the Čunovo dam, near the village of Sap and on Veľkololéský ostrov. Direct release of sturgeon fry into our rivers is one of the tools to strengthen the populations of this endangered fish species.
For several years now, we have successfully grazed sheep and donkeys at Devín Castle, and this year we managed to expand the pasture to the Devín castle Rock – which is located in the southern part, directly under the walls.
Sheep grazing has a long-term tradition in Spiš, and for its restoration in the meadows of Spišské Podhradie, several entities sterted to cooperate – the conservation association BROZ, the Administration of the Slovak Raj National Park, the city of Spišské Podhradie, and the Bishopric of Spišské with its seat in Spišské Podhradie at the Spišská Kapitula.
In addition to the successful activities in the Strážovské vrchy, as part of the LIFE Panalp project, we also started to restore rare grass habitats in the Samll Carpathians. In the westernmost Slovak mountain range, this spring, in cooperation with the Museum of the City of Bratislava, we started grazing on the Devín Castle Rock.
On 16 May, together with experts from the Water Research Institute, we participated in the meeting of the Slovak-Hungarian Boundary Waters Commission to present the plans, visions and activities of our Danube LIFE projects
On Monday, sheep of our original breed – valaška – traveled to Spiš to get to know the new barn and meet the shepherd. As early as next week, we are going to release them at a beautiful location, on a meadow near Spišské Podhradie with a view of UNESCO location Spišský hrad.
In September 2022, the first Microtus II study tour, previously postponed due to the pandemic was finally organized. Together with our stakeholders, we explored the wetlands of Balaton-felvidéki National Park in Hungary. Around Lake Balaton
Children from the 2nd and 4th grade of J. A. Komenský Elementary School in Bratislava had the opportunity to learn a lot of new and interesting information not only about the rivers themselves, but also about the adjacent floodplain forests and wetlands, their key inhabitants – fish.
In Beckovské skalice we have started grazing goats and sheep on rocky and less accessible sites in cooperation with Salaš Beckov. Beckov Farm, on the other hand, grazes cows on flat ground. This will create different grazing areas with different plants, which in turn are preferred by different insects.
The project team (BROZ and PRIF UK) headed to explore the Netherlands in September 2022. The reason is that a relative of the pannonian root vole lives here. Another endemic subspecies – Microtus oeconomus arenicola has found a refuge there after the ice age.
The winter season is ideal for crossing the original river arms. Exposed majestic poplars and willows let us know where their paths led. Nowadays, most of the river side arms are only supplied with water for a very limited period of increased flows in the Danube. All efforts to tame our rivers have led to a deterioration in the condition of the floodplain forest habitats. The WILDisland project plans to restore and connect the two original relics of the arms, which once formed the very dynamic and varied Medvedovska river branch system, with the main flow of the Danube. We expect that increased groundwater infiltration will also improve conditions for the adjacent floodplain forests.
In the past, foresters in our country reforested many rocky hills, mainly with stands of black pine. In addition, they have stopped pastures which have become overgrown with shrubs. This is how the Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo) lost its habitat in most of its locations of occurrence in Slovakia, thus recording more than 90% decline! in abundance.
The first step towards the restoration of the river branch in the Kráľovská lúka area was the preparation of an expert study by specialists from the Water Research Institute.
At the beginning of this year, we planted a total of 4 850 seedlings in the project areas in Vojka nad Dunajom and on Veľkolelské Island (PLA Dunajské luhy).
We’ve made arrangements for clearing and grazing at the site of European importance Holubyho Kopanice. However, we will not begin until autumn, as we are searching, marking and planning at this time. The Corydalis plants that grow here are host plants for the caterpillars of the clouded Apollo butterflies (Parnassius mnemosyne).
Butterflies are fragile animals by nature, and they need stable natural conditions for their survival. Stability vs. fragility need to complement each other in the butterfly world. They need a very specific combination of habitats for their survival. Therefore, in order for caterpillars and therefore butterflies to survive, their so-called host plants are important.
Solitary standing trees are an important eco-stabilising element in the landscape. The preservation and restoration of old fruit trees serves the function of saving and conserving our native gene pool, but they also provide suitable habitats for a range of invertebrates, cavity nesters and dormice in their cavities.
This is also the reality of a cliamte change. Ground squirrels wake up every year in the middle to the end of March, which is about a month from now. This year, several localities report us that they have woken up and have already moved through their burrows, which means they have been awake for about a week.
In the frame of the project LIFE Danube floodplains monitoring of amphibians continued also during the 2022 season. Several areas within six locations were monitored. Amphibian reproduction was greatly affected by the simulated flooding regime.
“Hilltopping” is a mating strategy in which insect adults seek out elevated, unvegetated sites in the landscape where their courtship flights and mating take place.
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.
Veľký Kopec shook beneath us!
Over the weekend, we went there to work hard with volunteers, removing invasive plants and creating more space for goat grazing.
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.
As part of networking with other organizations, we initiated a visit of technical water management facilities in Hungary in Vámosszabadi and Ásványráró in December.
Between 5.-7. of December we welcomed a delegation from Germany. Representatives of the LIFE Isar project visited our project area. Together we discussed the management and financing of project activities, conservation problems and possible solutions and visited several of our locations.
We have begun restoring a wood pasture in Podunajské Biskupice. Grazing by domestic animals was once a natural part of this area. However, due to the decline of grazing, the land has become largely overgrown with self-seeded trees as well as various invasive plant species. We have therefore decided to curb this overgrowth through grazing by a mixed herd of sheep and goats.
“LIFE21-NAT-SK-LIFE 4 STEPPE BIRDS: Conservation and Return of Steppe Bird Species to the Lowlands of Slovakia” is the name of our newest LIFE project, which sets ambitious conservation goals and will help reverse the poor protection status of bird species by restoring traditional land management and grazing practices.
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.
Grazing restoration is one of the golas of the project LIFE Panalp, from which the weekend activity was financially supported. In White Carpathians we are grazing goats in more localities already so we started now also in Babiná and we hope that the butterfly king will be atracted back to the locality.
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.
Currently, as part of the LIFE project Restoration and management of Danube floodplain habitats, we installed 9 new information boards at strategic locations within the Dunajské kriviny, Bodíky, Veľkolelsky and Apálsky ostrov islands.
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.
The diversity of micro-environments created by the mouths and teeth of grazing cattle could be compared to the diversity of infrastructure in a city.
In the frame of the Restoration and management of Danube floodplain habitat LIFE project we prepared this year new informational and promotional materials. Beside the wall calendar for 2022 we published also other language versions of project leaflet (currently available in Slovak, Hungary and English).
Krasín hill starts to look like it used to, thanks to our grazing restoration.
There are habitats which can stand dry weather much better than others. We call them drough-loving habitats or xerotherms.
Thanks to the cooperation with VÚVH, 12 pieces of MERATCH equipment were deployed, which are placed on individual weirs within the Danube branch system and monitor the state of the water level with an accuracy of 1 millimetre.
The Slovak mountains hide small treasures, which many have no idea that they exist in our country. They are wild orchids, and it is the Strážovské and Súľovské vrchy that can boast one of the highest species diversity in Central Europe.
The WILDisland team met at the Croatian Danube in the Kopački Rit Nature Park, where we took part in a project management workshop.
On recent wanderings through the floodplain forest, the restoration of which was supported by the Dedoles company, we addressed other possibilities of our cooperation.
How about creating a joint collection of socks? And draw attention to disappearing biodiversity?
And so the Endangered Species collection was created, thanks to which species more or less conspicuously disappearing from our country got on the socks and information about them on the Dedoles website.
There is always something going on at the ground squirrel locality in the Tisovský Kras. We just recently finished cleaning before the pasture will start and we are still raking the cleared piles of bushes. We strengthened the squirrel colony with individuals from Murán. The ones you see there with some kind of pattern on their back are the new settlers. We shortened their hair with scissors, the lower part of which is black. In this way, they will have patterns by which we can recognize them and follow their fate. And the most important thing – whether they mate with local residents.
Recently an annual inspection of the Microtus II project activities, known as Monitoring Mission has taken place. The mission is conducted by an external monitor is European Commission.
Take a look at the two Danube islands that will get the new look thanks to the LIFE WILDisland project.
We invite you to see the photos of ground squirrels by the famous Hungarian photographer Maté Bence.
We have prepared the first plan for the restoration of the Istragov wetlands, with the aim of year-round presence of water in Istragov.
We have finally managed to accomplish something we had been planning for a long time: to publish a brochure about the importance of grazing in the landscape—for pollinators, flowers, insects, and birds—for biodiversity as a whole.
As part of spreading awareness about the nature protection of the Danube region, we organized two lectures for schools. Children from the 1st and 3rd grade of J. A. Komenský Elementary School in Bratislava had the opportunity to learn a lot of new and interesting information not only about the Danube River itself, but also about the adjacent floodplain forests and wetlands…
The ground squirrels, which were part of the first part of the captures on March 18-25, 2022, are already in their new homes and are obviously doing well.
In the Danube floodplians, we organized a workshop for experts from various fields of nature protection, agriculture and energy.
Over the weekend we started with capture of ground squirrels at the Bratislava airport, these days we are continuing in the Slovak Kras and the Muránska planina will follow.
In recent days, our volunteers have been going to the Bratislava airport to feed the ground squirrels. Every roughly 20-30 meters they throw a little sunflower to get them used to going to these places. We are planning to catch ground squirrels there and transport them to other locations in order to strengthen several populations in southern and western Slovakia.
National Nature Reserve Apálsky ostrov with 5th the highest degree of protection represents one of the exceptional and rare project sites of BROZ. This area with surface of 85.97 ha was declared in 1954 to ensure the protection of unique communities of willow-poplar floodplain forest.
A website that promotes farmers who manage their land in an environmentally friendly way and connects them with buyers of their products is almost finished. The site, called Krajina živá, will be launched soon, and farmers who practice extensive grazing—keeping fewer animals or grazing over large areas—will be able to join gradually. In this way, they contribute to the biodiversity of the agricultural landscape.
From several ground squirrels localities in Slovakia, they tell us that the squirrels are waking up.
On the borders of ÚEV Čiližské močiare, the home to a large population of the Pannonian root vole, we planted a tree line of hawthorns, oaks and alders and completed it with an agate stakes.
In the middle of February, the volunteers had met to help again the pasture species in Site of Community Importance Veľký Kopec. The locality is known by the occurrence of steppe and forest-steppe habitats.
As part of the LIFE Microtus II project, we will modify the end of the Čiližský potok brook so it will flow freely and create new wetlands on an area of approximately 40 hectares.
We are trying to restore grazing to the Pieskovcové chrbty locality, which will be crucial for the protection of rare species. So far, we are at least cleaning and removing air raids.
Pine trees and spruce trees gradually overgrew even the territory of Svarkovica prtected area. The shading and acid fallout of needles increasingly changed the ecological factors of the environment, and without human intervention, the rare habitat and the species bound to it would gradually disappear even from this hotspot of biodiversity.
We recently reported on the results of amphibian monitoring in the Danube floodplains in 2019 and 2020 and the impact of simulated floods on their populations. Nowadays, we hold in our hands a report from the observations from 2021, which were carried out by zoologist Peter Mikulíček before and after the flood in the target area.
The area of the Danube floodplains between Dobrohošť and Sap is a part of the Danube Inland Delta. It is a unique and rare anabranching river pattern with a system of branches. In the past these branches and side arms meandered freely and the material of the Danube gravels and sands that the flow brought into the landscape was able to capture large amounts of groundwater.
The current project Restoration and management of Danube floodplain habitats is not the first on which BROZ cooperates with the Hungarian partner National park Danube-Ipel. In the past, we have joined together an international network of protected areas on the Danube called Danubeparks and in the frame of this partnership we already participate in the fourth project.
The area of the so called Danube Inland Delta between Bratislava and Sap used to be full of life. The unique system of river branches, periodic floods and healthy floodplain habitats offered an optimal environment for the reproduction of fish and amphibians.
One of the goals of the LIFE PANALP project is the involvement of volunteers in nature conservation. In this way, event participants will not only help nature, but also learn a lot about active care of target habitats and species. Information thus reaches the public through the experiences of individuals. We have therefore organized several brigades in autumn 2021.
Also in 2021, we used our live mowers to maintain habitats in the cadastral area Bratislava Ružinov. We are providing you with some beautiful shots.
At the site of the maountain Apollo, one of our rarest butterflies, we cleared approximately 1 hectare of debris from invasive trees. Since this light-loving species of butterfly requires sufficient space with nutritious and nectar-producing plants. We believe that this intervention will greatly help the maintenance of this species in the territory and, among other things, will also support other species of rare plants and insects.
On 23 October 2021, an enthusiastic team of current and former DINPD staff members and their relatives devoted their Saturday morning to hands-on nature conservation at the Szársomlyó site of the LIFE endemic PANALP project. They cut down overgrown bushes and smaller trees on the most Southern habitat of the rare and vulnerable Vincetoxicum pannonicum.
This year’s autumn monitoring has yielded gratifying results. We found that the number of voles in the locality near the village of Čiližská Radvaň increased compared to previous years.
Intensive farming on large areas literally erased life from the country. This is largely due to a poorly designed agricultural policy that encourages intensive farming, which creates a huge burden on the environment. Variety disappears from the rural landscape and with it also birdsong, butterflies and pollinators. If we lose the natural diversity of the landscape, we will also lose its health and resilience.
The international project LIFE PANALP is focusing on the return of grazing as a tool for nature protection. Together with its Hungarian partners, the Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development (BROZ) will focus on the protection of several species of endemic plants and rare animals.
Conservationists, hunters, farmers, beekeepers and non-state forest owners are calling for landscaping for nature and people. In the memorandum “For a Healthy Country”, they appeal to the Government of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic appeal.
At the end of last week, within the LIFE endemic PANALP project, we prepared a two-day field trip to the Duchonka forest administration, where we invited employees of the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic from the Záhorie Protected Landscape Area, Small Carpathians Protected Landscape Area, Ponitrie Protected Landscape Area and foresters from Lesy SR .
Two donkeys from ZOO Bojnice arrived at Salaš Šurice last week. There is a territory of European importance, declared for the ground squirrel and several other rare and protected animals, called Owl’s Castle.
We participated in the study visit with our project coordinator in the Austrian Donau-Auen National Park.
Volunteers from OZ Permoníci – the geocachers as well as other volunteers visited the locality Pánsky Diel for the 20th time! By their willingness they helped to develop the protection of targetted species and habitats.
The most of activities, what we are engaged in are predominantly aimed to
grazing restoration that provides the favourable conservation status of dry
and thermophilic habitats. An essential part of project is also propagation
of natural values.
In Slovak Karst National Park is located the unique Site of Community Importance Fabiánka. It is a wonderful mosaic landscape with pastures and open forests, which had suffered by grazing abandonment. That led to loss of protected and rare species bounded to non-forest areas.
Our documentary movie Land of meadows: a forgotten story was streamed on international film festival focused on food production and sustainable development Agrofilm and has won the price Award of the Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber for the Slovak Film. We are very grateful to the organizers and the jury of the festival for this opportunity…
Thanks to the implementation of project actions of LIFE Sub-pannonic on Site of Community Importance Plešivská planina the project team persuaded the owner of the unique historical grazing infrastructure located on the site, the Serenyi water tank, to agree with the inclusion of the water tank in the list of National cultural monuments.
In the end of September, the dry-thermophilic pastures in south of Eastern Slovakia was visited again for a second time by volunteers. The Site of Community Importance Tarbucka was established for a purpose to protect and to improve favourable conservation status of species and habitats of European interest.
Together with our DANUBEPARKS partners, we are launching a new project focused on the entire flow of the Danube, which will bring restoration of the side arms and the revitalization of the islands.
In August, we prepared another fence for sheep grazing, so that ground squirrels would do better. This time, we have built more than 1 km of fencing in the village of Jesenské in the Cerova vrchovina, and grazing on the 4.4 hectares of ground squirrel locality can begin.
A fat ground squirrel, a healthy ground squirrel, this applies especially in this period before hibernation. Ground squirrels can weigh up to more than 500 g. In the spring, they weigh around 200 g. If you see a skinny ground squirrel during this late summer period, you are probably seeing him for the last time.
As part of the project, we are also carrying out genetic research, and at the same time we are strengthening localities where there are so few individuals and interbreeding would deffinetelly occur between them.
Wetlands are used directly for educating the public. Microtus minibus runs in Hungary. In Austria you can sail among the reeds.
Throughout the month of July, a crowdfunding campaign was active to fund the publication of our children’s fairy tale book – Stories from the Meadows and Wetlands. We are pleased to say that the campaign was successful.
The level of the Danube has risen by about 4 meters in recent days. This brought life-threatening floods to the landscape and nature of the Danube region.
In July 2021, we met with our external monitor and project team in Ostrovné lúky for the last time. We checked the activities carried out since last year. We also had a look on wetlands, planted trees or extended pasture in Bodzianske Lúky. The project ended in May and we believe that the target species…
The BROZ people decided to issue a fairy-tale book for children and to translate the environmental connections into a children´s language.
The restored steep river bank, which we implemented here in March 2021, has experienced its inhabitants. Gradually, up to 500 pairs of Sand Martins nested here.
You can only find the rare plant of Thlaspi jankae, a protected species of European value, on Zobor mountain by Nitra, in the national park of Slovak Karst and in nearby karst areas of the Hungarian national park Aggtelek.
In the area of Zemné hradisko, which is a part of Site of Community Importance Horný Vrch, we succeeded by conservation management. The Russian bugloss (Echium russicum) is in our country as well as in the European Union the protected plant species – the species of European interest.
In Turna nad Bodvou, at the Skalistý potok location, there is the second largest forest site in Slovakia. Ground squirrels have settled here partly also in the alfalfa field. That field was recently plowed. The ground squirrels now have youngsters and plowing would kill them.
As we announced in February this year, we started with the creation of biocorridors, the so-called ‘Highways’ for root voles, which will allow them to move more easily between locations.
Within the project of the Conservation of Birds in SPA Ostrovné Lúky we organized a summer welcome event in the SEV Dropie. It was attended by the local residents, stakeholders and primary school students.
And at this time of the year the effort of the brave farmers and volunteers from the whole of Slovakia brought a reward – thanks to their help with protecting nature a rare orchid – Green winged orchid (Orchis morio) – is blooming on “Velky Kopec”.
Long time ago the open woodlands of Pannonian area had been grazed by big herbivores – humped cattle and European buffaloes. After human colonisation they were replaced by farm animals. In 50’s of 20th century the socialistic agriculture moved farm animals from landscape to stables.
The water flow is lower than agreed.
Two simulated floods of the Danube inland delta take place after a long time. After a series of negotiations and a successful petition, we managed to enforce what is approved in the Manipulation plan for the Gabčíkovo water dam. Until now, the flooding process has been depending on a complex administrative process.
In the winter, when it is the best time for tree planting, we planted more than 30,000 trees – the native tree species of the Danube floodplain forests.
In neighboring Austria, on the shores of lake Neusiedler, the work on restoration of Pannonian root vole habitat is also in progress.
One of the outputs of the Conservation of Birds in SPA Ostrovné Lúky Project was also a documentary film titled the Land of Meadows: a forgotten story.
In the summer months – July, August, as every year, we organize five tours of children’s summer camps on Velky Lel Island.
Two floods of this rare wetland will take place this year. We are looking forward to it, but we are still only halfway there.
Did you know that rivers and wetlands are considered one of the richest ecosystems in terms of diversity of life? During the last century, however, almost 90% of them have been lost due to human intervention, which is also related to the decline of frogs. In the past, therefore, “frog concerts” during the spring were a common part of the stay in nature, now it is increasingly rare to find places where we can enjoy them.
In the area of the Inland Danube Delta in the cadastre of the village of Bodíky, in 2020 we expanded the grazing of cows on floodplain meadows by approximately 8 ha. In order to support biodiversity, in addition to grazing on the site, we cut head willows.
At the end of February, we helped nature in Protected Landscape Area Cerová vrchovina. We met with employees of the Administration of Protected Landscape Area Cerová Vrchovina, local rangers and volunteers.
Our Hungarian project partner, Pisztráng Kör, obtained a minibus, so called
Microtus Minibus, for the purposes of this project.
You can find out about the state of grazing ground squirrel populations in Slovakia, what their needs are and what threatens their ground squirrels in an article in Denník N. The article was illustrated by Monika Pascoe Mikyšková.
This September BROZ is starting two new projects which have been approvedby the European Comminison. Both LIFE projects aim to protect endangered species and restore their habitats. One of these projects will be dedicated to conserving the European ground squirrel which, a once common species which is now endangered due to habitat loss.
BROZ in cooperation with the local cooperative has begun to graze livestock on 18 hectare of land in Tisovský kras where the ground squirrel population has been on the decline due to inapopriate land management.
Since the beginning of the year, we launched a regular field monitoring of potential biocorridors – „highways“ for the root vole together with the project partners, the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University in Bratislava and the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic.
Currently, the wetlands on Velký Lél Island are full of water.
A few years ago, we did such a thing – we changed the slope of the bottom in the drainage channel. It was a canal designed to drain water from Velký Lél Island. It was built in the past so that the water from the island flowed away after the floods sooner and people could use the meadows for grazing cattle as soon as possible.
Every year, on February 2, we celebrate World Wetlands Day.
This year, BROZ is celebrating World Wetlands Day with active work on their revitalization – landscaping is currently underway for an extensive renewal of the dynamic water regime of wetlands near the village Klížska Nemá.
The petition for the rescue of the Inland Danube Delta, signed by 11,603 people, serves as a basis for negotiations with the Water Management Enterprise and the Ministry of the Environment. We aim to increase the amount of water that flows in the Inland Danube Delta.
For the second weekend, the geocachers from OZ Permoníci did not resist the spell of volunteering in Tokaj area. In this time at the SCI Veľký Kopec.
We manually cleaned pastures densely overgrown with invasive agate and expansive woody plants. Of course, in compliance with all regulations.
On 17th and 18th October 2020, within the EU Green week partner event Green alley rally, we have been planting trees together with locals and volunteers from OZ Permoníci. We have planted more than 70 trees in agricultural land in NATURA 2000 SPA Ostrovné lúky.
We have decided to do this year’s monitoring of project results on bicycles! We had good fortune in the form of a beautiful indian summer and the newly restored pastures were still beautifully green. In contrast to the surrounding “naked” fields, pastures in this country seemed even more precious.
One of the larger actions within the BeeSandFish project has also progressed to the implementation phase. At the beginning of October, the construction site near the village of Klížska Nemá was handed over as part of action C.4. Restoration of food habitats for Sand Martin, King Fisher and European Bee-eater is planned here. Specifically, it…
Serényi´s cistern on the Plešivská Planina in the Slovak Karst was built in 1913 to ensure water for grazing animals and improve grazing conditions on the plain.
Today, there is a lack of water for animals, because the cistern is not functional and unfortunately it no longer fulfils its role.
The construction site was officially passed to the company, which will carry out revitalization works on the restoration of the steep river bank in Petržalka – Ovsište at the beginning of October.
Wetlands were once such a part of life in the local country that the locals had more than 20 different terms for “wetland”. Before the drainage of Rye Island, every centimeter of altitude was of great importance in the region, and these morphological differences were reflected in various names: gyűr, sziget, lapos.
On Monday 14.9. BROZ organized a field lecture at Devínska Kobyla for students of the Department of Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava. Devínska Kobyla is a Special Area of Conservation, part of Natura 2000 network. Pavol Littera from BROZ acquainted the students with the revitalization of the Devín arm of…
In September, Tarbucka hill shook under hooves of grazing goats and also the feet of volunteers. Volunteers and geocachers from OZ Permoníci helped us clean these rare places from aerial trees and invasive plants.
We delivered a petition for the rescue of the Inland Danube Delta to the Minister of the
Environment, Ján Budaj. The petition was signed by 11,603 people.
A wetland could be characterized as a habitat, existence of which is conditioned by water. This territory can be soaked with water on a permanent or seasonal basis.
Also during this summer, we continued to shoot the upcoming documentary about Ostrovné Lúky. In this document, we deal with the topic of nature conservation and restoration in an intensively farmed country, as well as the efforts and pitfalls of nature-friendly farming.
On June 29, 2020, the celebration of Danube Day featured rafting on this mighty river, together with children from A. Dubček Elementary School.
In May, we initiated a simulated flood in the Danube’s branch system, following the current Operational Rules for the Gabčíkovo dam. However, this simulated flood is not what we are advocating for in our petition.
Dear Minister of the Environment,
We, the signatories of this petition, turn to you in demand of a modification of the Temporary management terms for Gabčíkovo – Nagymaros Barrage System in the territory of Slovak Republic in order to provide the necessary care and protection for the last remains of the Danube inland delta in Slovak territory.
Floodplain forests are often overlooked in the search for solutions of climate change. However, floodplain forest restoration can play a very important role in reducing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.
Trees have the ability to capture large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere and store it as carbon in their tissues. An adult tree can sequester up to 22kg of CO2 in one year.
As a result, forests are extremely important in slowing down the ongoing climate change caused by high concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere as a result of burning of fossil fuels and habitat destruction.
The impact of climate change in southern Slovakia is already very noticeable today. Increased temperature and lack of rainfall affect not only farmers but also the surrounding nature.
Today is April 22—Earth Day. To mark this occasion, we have decided to take action for our planet at a place where we can make a difference. Therefore, we are launching a petition today to save the Danube’s inland delta, the largest wetland system in Slovakia.
About a year ago, we started renewal activities in the area of European importance Sedliská pri Hlohovci. The southern part of this area consists of beautiful xerothermic meadows with pulsatilla and adonis, which were used as pastures in the past.
The Teriologists* from the Faculty of Science, Comenius University in Bratislava have been engaged in root vole studies for more than ten years. The root vole has been researched in the field as well as the samples in the laboratory using molecular methods.
Tarbucka hill stretches over the villages Streda nad Bodrogom, Veľký Kamenec and Malý Kamenec. Thanks to its specific subsoil and suitable microclimatic conditions, Tarbucka hosts rare drought and thermophilic herbaceous vegetation and provides a home for many protected species of plants and animals. Thanks to these natural values it has been declared a Territory of European Importance.
In march 2020 we removed young poplars from root-vole habitats in order to maintain favourable habitat status of this endemic species.
As a result of several historical events, the country of the Lower Rye Island has changed beyond recognition in a few decades. The mosaic of wetlands, river side arms and vegetation has been transformed into a lifeless chessboard of large monoculture fields. Today, even the last meanders of Čalovecký Dudváh river which once flew through the countryside are plowed to create even larger field units for easier harvest. All this is still hapening at a time when water is becoming increasingly scarce in the soil and throughout the country.
During the restoration of small-scale wetlands in the Protected Bird Area Ostrovne Lúky, we got an idea – what if we used the excavated material to build nesting walls for birds right at the foot of the wetlands? We have recorded a nesting site of the European beekeeper in sand embankments in the area and we hope that they will like our new nesting walls so much that they will decide to nest in them this season after returning from their wintering grounds. The small wetlands are being created on restored pastures where the birds can find enough food. The water under the nesting wall will provide refreshment during hot summer days while protecting their offspring from predators.
Today we pollarded willows in protected bird area Ostrovne Luky. The day saw a lot of action, sawing, falling wood.. Even nature conservation and sustainable management of the countryside can sometimes look this way. For old willows pollarding is essential to prolog their life-span.
The species richness of our country is linked to non-forest habitats – they include thermophilic and xerophilous meadows and pastures, which we can admire in Slovenský Kras. These habitats depend on traditional management – extensive grazing and mowing. Unfortunately, most cities have not been farming traditionally for over 30 years. As a result, pastures are overgrown with aerial trees and expansive grasses.
In the month of February, nature blessed us with moisture even on the island of Veľký Lél.
You could only reach the island in rubber boots.
Don’t believe it?
Take a look.
In december we planted trees with volunteers from DELL, Mary Kay and Geocaching community. We planted black poplars – native species of the Danube floodplain forests. In 3 days we planted 1000 saplings which will grow to be majestic old poplars. Photoreport below:
If you admire the Danube river and its side arms, visit the area near the Kľúčovec village, where we are gradually starting to restore the river branch system along the Danube. This year we re-connected the lower part of the Kľúčovské arm to the main stream of the Danube. There is also an information panel,…
The Kľúčovské rameno arm – already the eighth arm, which, together with partner organizations, we managed to restore in the river branch system of the Danube. Together we are celebrating another significant milestone in our efforts to restore the Danube inland delta. Work began in March and finished in November 2019. A side overflow was…
If you get near by to Bátorove Kosihy village, you will find two new information panels to learn more about the SPA Dolné Pohronie as well as interesting species inhabiting the steep walls created on sand dunes. If you get here during the breeding season (of course best on the bike), you have a high…
On 24.-25. 9. 2019 we organized an excursion where we demonstrated restora-tion activities done during the project. Together with employees from Ministry of Environment, local offices and other „stakeholders“ we could see and also hear how the Danube floodplains
We will restore small-scale wetlands in SPA Ostrovné Lúky. Not only is it a big support for local biodiversity in the local intensely agricultural landscape, wetlands also help to store fresh water in an area which is suffering from a long-term drought. They also play a significant role as carbon sinks and therefore act as mitigators of climate…
We are thrilled at the nice outcome of a cooperation between nature conservationists and animal protectors. On the pohotographs you can see the result of two good things coming together. This month we started a cooperation with a local stakeholder, a lady who rescues abandoned and neglected horses. She was looking for a medow where they could graze and have…
Together we a local stakeholder Arnold Docs we started grazing at SCI Veľký Kopec in eastern Slovakia. The grazing will help restore rare steppe habitats including oak pastures which are full of life especially the insect and floral type.
In cooperation with the documentary-maker Braňo Molnár we are making a unique documentary about conservation efforts in areas where nature under pressure from intense agriculture. Such a „template“ are si SPA Ostrovné Lúky, where we are implementing the LIFE Ostrovne Luky conservation project. The nature in the area is facing similar challenges as elsewhere in agricultural…
In spring 2018 we managed to restore the canal on Veľkolélsky ostrov island and to create periodical wetlands of about 41 hectares. In the past the canal was built to drain the island meadows quickly after floods. Now it is adjusted to be able to bring the water into the dry middle of the island…
During the European Green Week many partner events with environmental topic occur from 13th of April till 9th of June in the whole Europe. Inspired by this week we participated on the May feast in cooperation with the company Veolia and the municipality Bratislava – Karlova Ves.
It is the first year of project running and we already succeeded in restoring the rare dry grassland habitats. One of the first project localitites which was restored through grazing in Fabiánka, part of the biggest karst plain in Slovakia – the Silicka plain.
A lot of work is beeing done at the Danube. Another part of inland Danube delta – the largest river treasure of Slovakia – is going to have flowing water. The works to restore the first river branch of river-branch system in Kľúčovec started in March. Since the middle of the 20th century all inflows into…
We restore rare grassland habitats in eastern Slovakia at lower Zemplín area. Watch the short news story on TV MA7 about the restoration of Veľký Kopec.
In the rooms of reconstructed grainery at the Ecofarm Ostrov near the Veľkolélsky ostrov Island, you may get to know more about the disappearing beauties of Danube floodplains. You may see them as well as touch or even smell the natural beauties.
During the weekend we worked with saw chains. A not-so-standard activity for conservationists but much needed for the old pollard willows and the creation of suitable micro-habitats for an array of different species. It might sound strange, but coppicing helps the old willows, it can extend their life-span by up to a 100 years! During long-term and…
During the autumn we installed several tall wooden perches for birds. They are all near grasslands restored by BROZ and will serve as resting and hunting spots for different bird species. Watch the VIDEO from the installation.
You can watch the video HERE The area of SPA Ostrovne Luky is under intense agricultural pressure causing suitable habitats for birds such as the great lesser shrike to dissapear. Chemisation of the arable land causes the insect – prey to many bird species to disspear at an allarming rate. The shots were made as…
In the 10th of October 2018 you are kindly invited for the opening of the exhibition about dissapearing beauties of the floodplains. The exhibition shows the visitors of all ages the threatened nature of Danube floodplain habitats (river branches, wet meadows, gravel deposits, floodplain forests, wetlands and salt marshes) that Regional Association of Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development is more than 20 years trying to restore successfully.
Experts from National forest centre (NLC) have indetified significant trees – sources of genetic material of the native tree and shrub species (black and white poplar, pear tree, white willow, narrow-leafed ash, bird cherry…). The most valuable of the trees will be nominated in National register and National list of Forest reproductive material. In the…
Chilren from schools, nurseries and wide public are invited to attend an excursion on Veľkolélsky ostrov Island. Part of the excursions is not only getting to know about natural beauties of the island and its´ unique habitat mosaic, but there is also a chance to ride horses (hucule), getting to know about different ways of…
Watch a news report about European bee-eaters, their protection and the importance of grazing. An example of the protection of sand dunes – nesting habitat of the European bee-eater – the TV Markíza crew was filming at our project site in Virt. European bee-eater report from 5:30 min
Since February 2018 restoration works on the channel have been done in the middle of the Danube Island Veľký Lél. The channel takes the water from the river branch bringing it into the middle of the Island. Originally it was built by the locals in the last centuries and it had opposite purpose than it…
We prepared timetables for school children and water tatoos that introduce the life and ecology of target bird species of LIFE Ostrovné Lúky project. We distributed the timetables around elementary schools in the area of the SPA.
Again this year we organised 6 summer camps for children in the nature of Veľkolélsky ostrov Island during summer holidays (activity E.7). The sessions were full booked already in May which is the proof of a high interest in these camps among children. Apart of horse riding children also learned about native inhabitants of Danube nature…
Nature and culture can both be on their own a fertile source of inspiration. What happens when they are interlinked? Today, we’re inviting you to join us on this journey of discovery by taking part in our photo contest. Share your photos showing your interpretation of culture and nature connections e.g. how culture is inspired…
In the past the shadoof played an important function for grazing and also created a significant esthetic element in the landscape of the Lower Rye Island. As part of the LIFE Ostrovné Lúky project we built 5 “dummy” shadoofs during summer 2018, to serve as perches for birds since intensely agriulturalized land does not offer…
Meadows are ecologically valuable areas. In the Danube floodplain forest, meadows were maintained by grazing of mowing. However, in the context of the change of management, they gradually became wane. Within the action of restoration of traditional grazing we returned traditional grazing into this area. The grazing is located near village Bodíky and its area…
Listen to another interesting facts about natural wealth of the Veľkolélsky ostrov island, about people living in the village Veľký Lél, pollard willows or the ecofarm keeping many kinds of domestic animals like horses or cows grazing on the island. Reportage in Radio Regina can be found here.
Brusel, 24.5. 2018 The European environment comissioner Karmenu Vella awarded the best projects of the LIFE+ programme on 23rd of May in Brussels. The BROZ project that focused on protecting nesting habitats of common swifts and bats in buildings in Slovakia was awarded as one of the three Best of the best projects in the…
In springtime SEV Dropie hosts the Hypericum environmental competition for elementary schools. The 19th year of the cometition focused on agrosystems in the Lower Rye Island, their biodiverzity and environmental problems. This is a very hot topic, because badly set agricultural practices have a log lasting negative on the environment. Along with soil degradation the…
With children from Elementary School in Marcelova, on April 6, 2018, we cleaned the habitat for the European bee-eater and expanded his food choices through 20 planted white poplars, we built an insect hotel and decorated 25 beehives full of bees. Children have learned new information about the European bee-eater, pollinators, pastures, beekeeping, and bird…
In March 2018, in order to share project outputs with other organizations abroad, we spent a week at the Primaria Primary School and at the Verein true move NGO in St. Gallen in Switzerland. At the beginning of the project, the great team of this school had inspired us in creation of educational materials and…
In our project the end of winter is already traditionally associated with volunteer workshop on pollard willow management. This year for the first time with our new coppicing arm, which allows us to coppice more willows than we would have done just “by hand”. As always a Big Thanks goes to our dedicated volunteers and…
On 14th November 2017, BROZ organised the networking took with representatives of the Austrian LIFE „Restoration of the Lower Morava Floodplains“, which is focused on water restoration measures. Networking took place between representatives of BROZ and the Austrian organizations Via Donau and WWF, which are focusing on water restorations of the river branches rivers on…
Second day of February belongs to the wetlands. Apart form the traditional feast of Candlemas we also remind World Wetland Day. The fact that this day of wetlands is mentioned also in calendar is the proof how important they are for maintainig stability of Earth´s ecosystem. However the wetlands are still one of the most…
After the restoration measurement in spring 2017 first possitive results are seen. In the area of former branch river system (project acitivity C.2) near the village Vojka, river arms as long as 800 meters were restored which created permanent wetlands on the area of 1 ha. Water which was brought to dry places using restoration…
Few weeks before Christmas we managed to install a barrier against motor vehicles which we placed on deserted field road in the edge of National Natural Reserve Apálsky ostrov near the Komárno town (SKUEV Dolnovážske luhy). It´s purpose is to block the access of motor vehicles into the reserve. Due to this measurement the road…
Beauties and wealth of the island Veľký Lél were promoted in Radio Regina including the results of conservation actions and plans within the project LIFE Danube floodplains – Obrázky krajiny.
See our new leaflet issued in the project – “We restore the land of Danube floodplains” Ozivujeme_krajinu_dunajskych_luhov
28.10. 2017 – Silvia Halkova was a quest in the broadcast Panorama in Radio Regina. Listen a reportage about nature of Danube floodplains and their protection.
Partner of the project – NLC – has managed to grow several native tree species that will be planted soon in the forest – common oaks, barren pear and apple trees, lindens and black poplars. Altogether 4325 seedlings have been grown. In the same time “mother heads” of black and white poplars have been planted …
The aim of the event – Ecological management and restoration of watercourses – was to inform the water experts and environmentalists about actual trends in water management and nature conservation. Motivate them to cooperation in solution of water restoration and water conservation. Within this event we organized professional workshop – How to restore Danube river…
In September 2017 was realized the restoration of the Porec stream between the railway and the highway in the length of about 600 m. The itself restoration starts about 150 m from the railway and ends at sluice on the field road about 80 m from the highway, at a length of 496 m. The…
A yearly venue named Dömös Day in the village Dömös took place the 9th of September with a rich program focused on nature and its conservation. It attracted mainly families with kids.
The former Adit under the Slovinec Hill was a significant wintering place for bats in the past. In 2011, the Adit was closed, which was prevented access for these valuable animals. The re-opening of the Adit was realised in 2017 by our association in cooperation with Civic association SAOLA – Nature Conservation and State nature…
We are inviting all families to the annual event – Green Day in Dömös which will take place 9th of September 2017. You will enjoy many different activities for children and adults in the heart of beautiful nature in Danube floodplain forests.
Video Blooming Weittov quarry Since 2013, it has realized here the restoration of meadow and forest habitats by restoration of traditional grazing. Animals suppress the invasive species and they help to create habitats for rare species of flora and fauna. Orchids come into bloom also in the most intensive grazing meadows of Weittov quarry. Grazing…
The restoration of food habitat by grazing started after several meetings at SPA Dolné Pohronie in the cadastral area Radvaň nad Dunajom, near Virt. An area of 12 hectares was fenced with a new electric fence with a total length of 2000 meters. The battery of fencing is recharged by a solar panel secured by…
The activity started in spring 2016. In spring 2017 tree planting was finalized. We planted the following native tree species: Salix alba, Populus alba, Populus nigra, Alnus glutinosa, Quercus robur, Fraxinus angustifolia in SPA Dunajské Luhy according to the A3 study. The trees were planted in 18 of the originally planned 27 localities. The reason was…
In the rooms of hydraulic laboratory of the Water research institute (VÚVH) the employees created physical model of the part of the river-branch system. The model optimalise the main parameters, position and configuration of crosswise structures with the aim to achieve optimal conditions of the stream. Using this model and following field measurements and calculations…
The restoration of nesting walls in Bátorové Kosihy was prepared and carried out in close cooperation with the local administration office, the mayor and local organization “Brehuľa” (Sand Martin). Information pannels informed the locals about the ongoing works. The nesting locality was used by a colony before the reconstruction, but parts started to overgrow with…
The Karloveské rameno river branch is one of the few free-flowing danubian river branches at the whole Slovak section of Danube and bypasses the island known as Sihoť – important source of drinking water. Along the whole river branch deposits and artificial embankments were removed, which had formed unnatural barriers within restoration. The stream flow…
The habitats were restored by BROZ as part of activity C1 at Zlatná na Ostrove in february 2017 – total length 35m. In Dobrohošť the restoration took place in may 2017 – total length 40m. Both localities are part of the CHVÚ Dunajské Luhy.
On the occasion of 25th anniversary of the program LIFE and 20th anniversary of the Regional Association For Nature Conservation And Sustainable Development an Open Day of the project Restoration and management of Danube floodplain habitats – LIFE14 NAT/SK/001306 took place on 17th of May 2017 from 8:30 till 21:00 in Waterworks museum in Bratislava.…
In May 2017 we managed to restore and create new wetlands in Danube floodplains near Dobrohošť. After digging a canal the water got into terrain depressions where ideal conditions for native floodplain species was created – e.g. amphibians and birds bound to open water bodies. Apart from amphibians a rare migratory birds appeared right after…
A study trip entitled “Cooperation and nature protection in the area NP Neusiedler See – Seewinkel a Fertő tó” organized by the Slovak Environmental Agency SEV Dropie was held on 2nd – 3rd May 2017. The study trip was designed primarily for self-government, project workers and key stakeholders at the SPA Ostrovné lúky. The Neusiedler Lake and the adjacent localities of both our…
In April 2017 altogether 3375 nurslings of native woody species were planted in the forest in the cadastral area of Bodíky. The planting was realised on the localities after logging where natural reproduction of trees had not occured. We chose reforestation on these areas to prevent spreading of invasive woody species and to ensure species composition…
Are you a primary school and are you interested in environmental education? Join the environmental contest Hypericum which is organised yearly by Slovak Environmental Agency. The contest will take place on 19th April 2017 in The Centre of Environmental Education SAŽP Dropie, Zemianska Olča. It is intended for pupils from 5th to 9th grades of primary school and the main topis of the…
From 5th to 6th April 2017 the study trip „How to change a school garden?“ took place within the project LIFE12 NAT/SK/001155. We have visited Waldorf primary school and kindergarten in Brno, School facility for environmental education Lipka – facilities Kamenná and Rozmarýnek and also Ecological institute Veronica in Hostětín. The weather was not the best on Thursday, but the program was very inspirational and…
In the end of March 2017 a monitoring of amphibians started in different localities of restored wetlands. In several places an occurence of rare species was confirmed – The European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina) and The Danube crested newt (Triturus dobrogicus). According to the collected and evaluated data about amphibians we will be able to…
Partner of the project – NLC – has managed to grow several native tree species that will be planted soon in the forest – common oaks, barren pear and apple trees, lindens and black poplars. Altogether 4325 seedlings have been grown. In the same time “mother heads” of black and white poplars have been planted…
In the beginning of the spring 2017 in cooperation with local farmers we managed to restore 23 ha of grasslands in long-term wet fields in SKUEV0227, SKUEV1227 Čiližské močiare, in the cadastral area of Číčov. This way together we succesfully enlarged the area of grasslands in the project area. Restoring of grasslands is included in…
Devínska Kobyla is one of the most visited areas for population of the capital. It is characterized by a high diversity of fauna and flora. It is part of the Protected Landscape Area Malé Karpaty and also it belongs to the Network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union NATURA 2000.…
In the debate on television Devínskonovoveská TV project manger Andrej Devečka described area of Devínska Kobyla, and also its significant and importance of conservation of this locality for conservation of unique nature values, which are characterized for Devinska Kobyla. Video.
On 28.1.2017 took place in project area Danube floodplain forest expert workshop. The main objective was introducing the area of Danube floodplain forest, management in this area and experiences with nature conservation. Workshop manage project manager Andrej Devečka, who focused on activities: C.1: Restoration and management of forest habitats, B.1: Long-term lease of land and…
Fifth – year students from Primary school in Hargašová street in Bratislava, within their research project were focused on monitoring our goats in grazing in the area of Geological museum. Children visited our grazing, where Project manager Ing. Andrej Devečka told them about our project and about importance of grazing in Nature conservation on Devínska…
In November 2016, within the project Conservation of birds in SPA Ostrovné lúky we managed to plant 60 native fruit tree species which are characteristic for Rye Island – apricots, cherries and pears. We thank to Dropie for organising sowing and choosing of the place of trees, helping people came also from the activation works from Čalovec, everything…
Medené Hámre Adit is located in Special Area of Conservation Homoľské Karpaty in the cadastral territory Borinka. The adit is stamped in limestone, it has 2 separate entrances and accessible corridors are 500 metres long. I tis very important wintering of bats. Since 1993 it is realized here monitoring of bats, which is realized by…
Together with volunteers from Mary Kay and with the support of BSK we planted native tree species in Biskupické Luhy. Despite the unfavourable weather conditond the event was a big success. The Mary Kay staff resisted the bad weather and managed to plant 300 poplar trees. Thanks a milion!
In sunny morning on 25th October 2016, we are all meeting up at the Lower Rya Island in The Centre of Environmental Education of Slovak Environmental Agency, surrounded by SPA Ostrovné lúky. When the last people of our group arrived, we are starting our never-ending journey to the NP Hortobágy in Hungary. NP Hortobágy is one of the biggest grassland steppes…
We would like to invite you to a workshop for farmers with a focus on Agroenvironmental Schemes in the Ostrovné lúky, which will be held at 10 a.m. on 3rd November at CEE SAŽP Dropie, Kolárovská 55, 946 14 Zemianska Olča. Please confirm your participation until 2nd November (Wednesday) 12 p.m. at katarina.beresova(at)sazp.sk. The participation is free of charge. Program: 10:00 – 10:20 Arrival and registration…
Within the conference Nationalparks Jahreskonferenz 2016, the directors os six Austrian national parks visited Bratislava on 10th October 2016. The chairman of Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable development (BROZ) Tomáš Kušík presented them restoration of Devínske rameno river branch and Andrej Kovarik from State Nature conservancy presented them Sedláčkov island. Austrian conservationists positively…
On 30th September 2016 the children from kindergarten Slniečko together with teachers, parents, grandparents and our colleagues from The Centre of Environmental Education Dropie built the first insect hotel in kindergarten Slniečko in Nové Zámky.
Within project action E.10 the successful action for public has been organized – for families with children from around the river Danube in village Domos – DOMOS DAY. This action was organized by project partner – DINPD – Duna Ipoly National Park Directorate. The day was held on September 10th, 2016 and was visited by…
Europian Commissioner for the environment, marine legislation and sea fishing legislation Karmenu Vella, on the occasion of the visit Bratislava, had meeting with representative of Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable development (BROZ). The Chairman of BROZ Tomáš Kušík introduced him the project activities – restoration of river branches in SKUEV Bratislavské luhy and…
From 24th to 26th August 2016, the people with unusual interest got together in The Centre of Environmental Education Dropie. All three days were dedicated to the new environmental educational program The Secret Life of Bugs. The participants of workshop were teachers from kindergartens and elementary schools, lecturers from Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology, from Regional Association…
On 19th august 2016 took place excursion within the conference „Writing seminar on the LIFE“ in the project areas – SKUEV Bratislavské luhy and SKUEV Devínska Kobyla, which prepared Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable development (BROZ) in cooperation with Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic.
Project partner Pisztráng Kör (Trout Circle) installed a untraditional watching hides, which allow visitors to observe the nature from untraditional places like under the water, from the tree, from the underground shelter or from the boat powered by a solar panel.
Introduction of grazing on Devinska Kobyla and campaign „Adoptuj si kozu“ Adopt a goat in regional TV – Television of west Slovakia. More information in this video.
After restoration of traditional grazing in Biskupice floodplain forest thanks to projest Restoration of NATURA 2000 sites in cross-border Bratislava capital region, was eliminated strong monoculture of invasive species of Solidago sp. Traditional grazing is ideal method for the restoration of original species composition.
Hungarian partner of the project Duna – Ipoly National Park Directorate prepared new No. of Cincér new letter, which is devoted to LIFE Danube floodplains project. Cincér news letter Here is the summary of the articles: The first article: The empire of the white tailed eagle. A report was made with Balázs Szelényi, the national species…
During the restoration workshas been restored the the water canal, which brings the water into the dry wetlands. This restoration helps to return the original species of animals and plants, which lived here in the past. Restoration of wetlands was focused on the creation of suitable places for reproduction of amphibians. We managed to create…
More information in this video.
From the second week of July children’s summer camps take place on the Velky Lel area (project action E.7).Children from closer and more distant surrounding towns and villages can get to know the Danube floodplain countryside and its exceptional beauty during one week course. They also can learn about importance of nature protection and the…
Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable development (BROZ) in cooperation with Bratislava water company and water manager experts revitalized the Karloveské rameno river branch. On the 3rd June 2016 took place the Press conference with participation of minister of environment Lázsló Solymos. Press release
The Networking was focused on bilateral exchange of experience between projects: Restoration of NATURA 2000 sites in cross-border Bratislava capital region – LIFE 10 NAT / SK / 080 and the Slovenian project LIFE11 NAT/SI/000882 Riparian ecosystem restoration of the lower Drava river in Slovenia. Within the networking the participants visited two project localities –…
From 20th to 21st May 2016 took place Professional workshop called ,,Fish migration and barriers on the stream“ on the occasion of the World Fish Migration Day. The main topic of the workshop was free fish migration and restoration of river ecosystems. On the workshop Andrej Devečka, project manager, introduced restoration of Danube river branches,…
In the middle of May 2016 the first part of Kralova luka branch system was restored in Danube floodplains. With the help of excavator the fallen dead wood and river deposits have been excavated and the water intake from Danube was released. Before restoration there was only little brooklet in some parts of the river…
In March were installed by State Nature conservany two new summerhouses and five new seats for visitors in this important locality. Wood barriers near paleontological sites Sandberg were recovered too.
As part of the monitoring mission of the European Commission, held on 22- 23/06/2016, we visited two project localities in Bodíky cadastral area. The BROZ organization has rented forest land in this area as part of the project LIFE Danube floodplains (project action B1). Former forest land owners have done clear cutting of non –…
This activity consists of three main activities: a) removal of invasive species b) planting of native tree species and c) marking and preserving valuable trees and modification of logging. video.
In the Nature reservation Devínska Kobyla finished first phase of restoration of rare grasslands. The Works were coordinated by DAPHNE – Institute of Applied Ecology in cooperation with Administration of Protected Landscape Area Malé Karpaty. Felling self-seeded trees on NPR Devinska Kobyla it ended the first phase of restoration of rare bow. The work is…
First seedlings of native tree species for the Danube floodplain forests, prepared for the project purpose, are already growing in a field station of the National Forestry Centre (NLC) in Gabcikovo since the spring of 2016. Workers have started to plant seedlings of trees, native to the Danube floodplains for the first time this spring…
In the last weekend of February we organized the 3rd workshop dedicated to pollard willow managent at SEV Dropie. The willows were traditionally coppiced for wood or crafts and coppicing is necessary for the tree´s wellbeing. The willow acts as a refuge for a number of insect species and privides shelter for roosting bats and…
In Slovak daily paper, which is called Pravda, was published the article about the importance of wetlands. In the article were presented restorations of Danube river branches, which were realized within the projects of Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable development (BROZ). And in article was published the planned restoration of Karloveské rameno river…
Pozrite si video z putovnej interaktívnej výstavy Kolmý riečny breh o živote včelárika zlatého, rybárika riečneho a brehule hnedej.
The interactive exhibition for schools about life of Sand Martin, Kingfisher and European Bee-eater is available these days at courthouse Dúbravka-Bratislava till 4.3. – from Monday to Saturday – 16:00 – 19:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 to 13:00. In case you are interested to visit our exhibition as school class (also provided in English),…
On Wednesday 30.9.2015, was opened interactive educational trail at Devínska Kobyla Nature Reserve in the vicinity of Bratislava. This reserve with its rare steppe fauna and flora belongs to the most unique and most visited nature treasures of the capital. Nature trail will help to raise public awareness and get support to maintain the valuable…
From the spring 2015 new grazing locality within project NaturaBA has been prepared for restoration of biotops in surroundings – volunteers cleaned the area, collected litter and these days you can find around 20 animals grazing at protected meadows nearby.
On Friday 11th September BROZ with volunteers took part at cleaning of Devinske rameno side arm – at outflow part. Several bags with rubbish have been removed from site and also an intresting lecture about this protected area from employees from State Nature Conservancy has been realised. Thank you for your help!
Summer months are not just about school holidays and time at the beach. At our centre for environmental education Dropie we had been busy with a number of excursions from kindergardens, elementary schools and summer camps. Through an interactive and playful way, the children learned about the beauty and value of the Rye Island, the…
Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable development (BROZ) on the occasion of World day of European network of protected areas of Natura 2000 organized volunteer event in Geological museum, which is project area in Nature reservation Devínska Kobyla. Broz in cooperation with civic association Space and sculpture and non-profit organization Barbora planned restoration of…
On 27.3.2015 we had opened Dropie for everyone. Due to bad weather conditions, however, we held the programme at the elementary school in Zemianska Olča. Together we the pupils we learner how to ID different tree species, and we spoke about the importance of trees for different bird species. The programme was attended by all…
In the past, the river transported massive amounts of gravel sediments which were deposited in the surrounding areas downstream from Devínska brána, eventually creating a network of meanders and river islands. One of these islands, locally known as Sedláčkov Island, can be found in this area. In contrast to other islands on the Danube, this…
Devínska rameno river branch starts about kilometer from the confluence of rivers Danube and Morava. It bathes Slovanský ostrov Island near castle Devín. Water bathes Island only sometimes, when the level of the Danube river is high. Most of time the water in Devínske rameno river branch is stagnant and bed is dry. Regional Association…
The motto of this year’s the World Day of wetlands lays stress on the important role, which wetlands play in our lives. The future of humanity depends on wetlands. The wetlands withholds and cleans water, offers fishes, rice and crops, which feed a milion of people of the world. Wetlands works like nature sponge, reduce…
Elements placed along the blue marked tourist path from Sandberg to Weitov quarry present the area of Devínska Kobyla not only as a natural treasure, but also as an important paleontological site with an extraordinary history . There are 7 newly installed educational-artistic elements to be found here, with the theme of flora and fauna…
22nd May is Internetion Biodiversity Day – Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development (BROZ) in cooperation with Slovak and international partners (CEE web for biodiversity) have prepared several interesting activities for public in National Nature Reserve Devinska Kobyla (1) and on the confluence of Danube and Morava river (2). 1. Come and visit…
Each year on February 2nd we commemorate the World Day of Wetlands, habitats that are home to rare plant and animal species – many of which are already critically endangered. In 2014 the main topic is also the relationship of wetlands and agriculture and promotion of partnership between conservationists and farmers by their protection and…
The visit focused on bilateral exchange of experience in restoration measures on the River Morava. The currently running LIFE + project Lower Morava floodplains, is based on previous projects of revitalization of side arms, meanders and shore fortifications. Within the exchange of experience, we visited three sites in the area between Angern and Markthof. http://www.life-march.at/…
On 19.-20.9. 2013, within the project Natura 2000 BA, we participated along with representatives of the SNC, Daphne, Bratislava Magistrate and the Regional Office for the Environment, in an interesting study visit in Austria, aimed at successful examples of pasture management in protected areas. We visited the sites Lobau, Bisamberg, Glaslauterriegel-Heferlberg-Fluxberg and Hundsheim.
The visit focused on bilateral exchange of experience in restoration measures on the River Morava. The currently running LIFE + project Lower Morava floodplains, is based on previous projects of revitalization of side arms, meanders and shore fortifications. Within the exchange of experience, we visited three sites in the area between Angern and Markthof.
BROZ launched an activity in the NNR Devínska Kobyla today- restoration of a traditional grazing. On the lower terrace of the Weitov quarry, in an electrical enclosure, there is an initial herd of 23 goats, which will supervised by a shepherd, gradually pasture area of about six hectares.
A press conference to launch grazing in Weitov quarry.
We invite the public to a lecture focused on the performance of project activities – planned management measures in SKUEV Šúr. On 03.07.2013 at 17.30 at the premises AI NOVA, Saint Jur.
On Saturday 27.4., we met in the area of European importance Ostrovné lúčky at Rusovce, to spent active time together with volunteers removing non-native tree and shrub species and planting additional trees with the help of the community geocachers.
Cleaning of the valuable site of Community importance along Karloveské arm took place today – thanks to an abundant participation of volunteers from the Green Patrol, Greenpeace, OZ Karloveská Bay and many others, but especially with the strong support and cooperation of BVS, we removed several containers full of garbage from the site and made…
For conservationists from BROZ, it is important not only to restore and protect wetlands, but also to highlight their important role in the ecosystem, of which man is a part. Therefore, activities to improve information and awareness among the general public, are one of the priorities.
In early December, a meeting of representatives of the State Nature Conservancy, representatives of BROZ, project partners and guardians of nature in relation to Natura 2000 BA, took place at the Faculty of Science.
At the end of the year, BROZ once again carried out the planting of native tree and shrub species in the area of the Danube floodplains. There are further planting activities planned in the spring of this year, in which schools and public can take part of. These will be associated with a professional lecture…
Based on an earlier visit of colleagues from České středohorí, who visited in the spring, along with mayors and officials, Devínska Kobyla, we were invited to the PLA to see their project areas and types of management of steppe habitats.
By May 15 the river island with pristine nature, alluvial forests, source of drinking water, dynamically flowing Karloveské arm, or for example, the largest European Black Woodpecker, a protected area with the second and third level of protection. The ceremonial declaration of the Protected Area took place in the Water Museum.
In the briefing room of the Water Research Institute at the Danube embankment, overlooking the woods of the new protected forest area Pečniansky forest, representatives of the Municipality of the City of Bratislava, the City District Petržalka, State Nature Conservancy, Austrian Danube-Auen National Park, BVS, and Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development (BROZ),…
