Successful completion of the 2023 season
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 on the wet meadows of Apál Island, a nature reserve at the confluence of rivers Váh and Old Nitra.
Since August, cows have grazed the front part of the island. In October, we also let them into the fences in the back meadow and thus expanded the pasture from the original 7 ha to a total of 26 ha. After a few months of diligent grazing, you can now see the interim result thanks to the photos taken.
Recently, the grazing season ended on the island, and the cows are now taking a well-deserved rest in the barn, but we are already looking forward to the coming spring, when they will once again run to the pasture on the meadows of the Apál Island. This activity is possible thanks to the cooperation with the local grange from Vrbová nad Váhom, which expressed an interest in participating in long-term cooperation on the restoration of this valuable territory.
Cooperation between BROZ and the local cooperative is mutually beneficial. Thanks to the project, we were able to make available to farmers the land we acquired for long-term use, prepare the area for grazing (initial mowing and removal of invasive trees), provide the necessary infrastructure (electric fences, well, watering holes). The cooperative provided the animals, runs the pasture for at least four months in the season, inspects and maintains the grazing equipment and coordinates the grazing regime.
This cooperation was contracted for 6 years as part of the ending LIFE Danube Floodplains project and will continue even after its finalization. Even this way, we try to ensure the long-term sustainability of project activities, which is required from us as a leading partner in every LIFE project by the European Commission, but at the same time it is also in our internal interest.
The goal of grazing is to ensure the restoration and maintenance of valuable meadow habitats, while simultaneously eliminating invasive and alien plants and thus creating a suitable environment for typical plant species, insects and birds and thus increasing the biodiversity of the island.
