PROJEKT: Developing best practices in butterfly conservation in Central and Eastern Europe

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. In the growing season, however, they are mown or mulched on the same dates each year. This results in the complete removal of nectar-producing herbs, and depletion of the soil seed bank. In addition to this, not removing the harvested biomass leads to excessive nutrient enrichment due to its on-site decomposition. 

In cooperation with the administration of the White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area we have selected faunistically valuable sections of the Váh river dikes, where the mowing and subsequent removal of the mown biomass will be carried in late autumn, in agreement with the administrator. 

And all season long you can hear buzzing and see pollinators flying around.