📋 Tender Overview
Start Date: 01/09/2022
End Date: 31/12/2027
Total Eligible Budget: 3,149,611 €
EU Contribution: 2,362,209 €
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Regional drawdown of rainwater combined with climate change has resulted in less water entering sodic wetlands in Hortobágy National Park, causing a significant water deficit. Dry habitat in riverbeds has increased, with the wetlands’ water balance further upset by the spread of reeds, cattails and water-hungry trees and shrubs. In 15 sodic wetlands covering more than 1,200 ha, around one-third of the wetland habitats have become dry. The conservation status of Pannonic salt steppe, salt marsh and steppe grassland habitats has worsened significantly as a result. Populations of important bird species have also declined and the wetlands’ ecosystem services have been affected. For instance, birds such as the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena) have disappeared, while breeding and staging populations of other priority bird species have fallen dramatically in the past few decades. (Staging populations are migratory birds that have stopped to rest, drink and eat.) In addition, with the wetlands becoming dryer, less grass is available for livestock grazing and the area’s attraction for ecotourism is diminished, affecting some residents’ incomes in the town of Balmazújváros.
