Project actions

1. Preparation of plans

Devise overall action plan

At the start of the project, in the first month the project employees will draw up a technical and financial implementation plan and schedule for the project actions in a monthly breakdown. In the planning phase we will have a minimum of one meeting with the project partners, farmers and HNP specialists. The plan prepared will have to be accepted each year by the Hortobágy Environmental Association’s board of leaders before the commencement of the implementation. The plan will be supervised on a yearly basis and complemented with the amendments made in the interim.
The project proposal was prepared in 2007 but implementation of the actions was commenced in 2009. During this period of time in Hungary several changes are expected to happen, that is why updating of the project proposal is necessary in the framework of an implementation plan. Otherwise timely implementation of the actions would be difficult, or impossible.

 

Technical plans for water management and habitat restoration

According to legislation in Hungary, for water management interventions and channel elimination works in a wetland habitat one needs to possess a permitted implementation plan issued by the Water Authority, which is to be prepared by an accredited designing office. The plan is to include the consent of all competent authorities, town governments and landowners, as well as the description and sketches of the actual investment including the water control structures to be installed, the earth masses to be moved and the required heavy machinery.
The most appropriate designer selected previously with the bid offering best value for money will be commissioned with the preparation of the implementation plan. Based on the permitted plan we will invite subcontractors to submit tenders for field works and instalment of water control structures, in conformity with Community Directives on public tendering procedures. We are obliged to have a water management plan for the entire extent of the Nagy-szik. In the case of Magdolna-puszta, both the water management and the puszta rehabilitation permits are needed to implement the activities that will ultimately eliminate the threats now affecting the project site. The restoration of sodic lakes requires exact, accurately implemented actions and must be based on well thought out plans approved by several specialists.

 

Conduct feasibility study for the elimination of waste dump and restoration of sewage pond

One of the most detrimental factors ever having affected the project site is that in the 1980s, as a result of a mistaken decision, the location for the waste dump and sewage pond of Balmazújváros was designated here. As both of them were built with the application of obsolete technologies, they did immeasurable harm to the surface and underground waters. Their elimination requires a rapid and professional series of actions, in particular from the part of the local government of Balmazújváros, who is the operator of the plant. So as to prevent further damage caused by their elimination, a feasibility study is needed which is carefully devised by experts and focuses on the rehabilitation following the implementation.
To ensure this, two separate plans will be drawn up. One of the plans involves the entire elimination of the waste dump and restoration of loess grassland in its former location, the other describes naturalization of borrow pits and their utilization as wetlands. The implementation plan details available financial resources necessary for the elimination works. The plans will include photographs, figures and graphs, and in 2011 both will be issued in 50 copies to be forwarded to policy makers and local specialists.
In the course of the project, however, we will not undertake the practical realisation of the plan (since financial resources cannot be ensured for this purpose during the project period), only the preparation of the plan itself which will include declarations of intent from all parties involved that the elimination of the waste and sewage plant will be implemented as soon as possible.

 

2. Land purchase

Purchase of privately owned part of sodic lake bed

A seven hectare area of the sodic lake bed in Nagy-szik is privately owned and is part of the Natura 2000 network as SPA and pSCI. So as to restore the natural water regimes and a unified, favourable scale of grazing in the entire area it is of crucial importance that the site be acquired by an organization carrying out conservationist activities. Since the adjacent plot of land is owned by the Tiszatáj Public Foundation for Environmental Protection and Nature Conservation, the area in question will also be purchased by them. Owners started selling the area prior to the start of the project, and they submitted a declaration of intent for the Hortobágy Environmental Association to sell the area. By the purchase of this area management of the sodic lake complex in Nagy-szik will be ensured, and it will be secured that certain threats (draining of natural rainfall, dramatic decline in the size of seasonal water bodies, effluents getting into natural water bodies, loss of biodiversity) be eliminated with no obstacles. If the area is not purchased, it may be possible that, in spite of the area being protected, the owner engages in activities threatening biodiversity, since he is at present storing used tyres in the area.

 

Purchase of privately owned part of catchment area of sodic lake in Nagy-szik

The eastern side of the sodic lake in Nagy-szik, next to its shoreline, the nearest catchment area of the lake is at present under cultivation and although it has been excluded from the NATURA 2000 network, it is included in the planned expansion. The owners had put certain plots of land for sale prior to the drawing up of the project proposal and later they confirmed their intention to sell their land to the Hortobágy Environmental Association.
So as to achieve the project objectives, and to ensure that no pollution could get into the sodic lakes we will purchase the plots of land that are on sale as one unit. By the end of the project period, the area will be incorporated in the NATURA 2000 network.

 

3. Concrete conservation actions

Exclusion of polluted and used waters from the project site

Polluted and used waters deriving from three different sources will be prevented from getting into the natural sodic lake beds thereby enriching the stagnant, salt-affected rainwater with nitrogen and phosphorus.
The Magdolna-channel, which bisects the project site, conveys not only good quality groundwaters from the catchment area in Hajdúhát and from the pastures in the project site but also the polluted waters from adjacent areas: receives polluted rainwater from the south-eastern part of Balmazújváros, effluents through the diversion ditch of the Eastern Main Canal from the cannery located nearby as well as used water continuously flowing through the fishpond. In addition, through Magdolna-channel irrigation water is regularly discharged from the Eastern Main Canal, especially in the summer period, which results in an unwanted presence of used water on the project site.
The exclusion of all the above mentioned polluted and wastewaters from the project site is a primary objective in terms of the protection of the 450-hectare sodic lake. Therefore, the following actions are to be taken:

 

1) Creation of a diversion ditch in Balmazújváros

At present, rainwater deriving from the south-eastern part of Balmazújváros is discharged at several locations and has an unregulated, free runoff through Nagy-szik towards Magdolna-channel, which can be regarded unfavourable in many respects. It has a negative effect on the town, since at times of high groundwater table the full Magdolna-ér cannot receive waters from the town, as a result of which the nearby houses, streets and gardens are soaked by permanent stagnant water. Furthermore, it is detrimental to nature, since urban rainfall run-off that may be contaminated with liquid waste discharged by domestic residences gets into the sodic lakes. As a solution to the problem, a diversion ditch will be constructed, as part of the restoration works, at the edge of the town to be named in Hungarian “Balmazújvárosi övcsatorna”. This channel will be partly made by deepening an existing channel (0.9 km), and partly by constructing a new one (3.9 km). The entire length of the channel will be 4.8 km, with 5 culverts and 2 permanent water control structures. Construction of the diversion ditch of Balmazújváros will make it possible to cut off the south-eastern district from the water of Magdolna-ér at all times, and to protect the conservation area from possibly contaminated municipal water.

2) Creation of western diversion ditch

At present, through deep-cut interconnection canals leading via the bottom of the Eastern Main Canal, Magdolna-ér receives industrial site drainage from the nearby cannery. In addition, used water from the fishpond in the possession of Sellő Anglers’ Association, built in the 1990s and water from the Water Quality Control Station is also discharged into it. These waters, besides continuously polluting the project site, represent a permanent water supply, which destroy the seasonal nature of the sodic lakes. To tackle this problem, the western diversion channel (nyugati övcsatorna) is to be built, which is to be located in a north-south direction, along the right bank of the Eastern Main Canal. This new channel will receive effluents arriving from the Water Quality Control Station, which will exit the channel through evaporation leaving the project site unaffected. The fishpond’s water is discharged illegally, which will have to be solved in accordance with current legislation, by obstructing its drainage channel (0.3 km), thereby terminating the continuous flooding of the project site. Its potential wastewater will be discharged to the western diversion channel through a sluice. The cannery’s permit to discharge effluents expired in 2008. Therefore, its deep-cut interconnection canal will also be blocked (0.9 km)

3.) Diversion ditch in Kőudvar

The present manager of Magdolna-channel, the Trans-Tisza Region Water Authority has a legal obligation to discharge irrigation water into the Kőrös-valley in periods of drought, 1.5 m3/s of which is conveyed by the Magdolna-channel. The discharge and the unwanted periods of flood resulting from it happen in the very dry period of sodic lakes. Since termination of this obligation for discharge is impossible, we had to find another runoff course within the project site that would leave the sodic lakes unaffected. The branch head for this new watercourse is the sluice to be built in the bank of the Eastern Main Canal, from where via already existing, deepened canal sections it reaches the channel located in the natural valley of Kőudvar, which enters Kadarcs-karácsfoki Channel, similarly to Magdolna-channel, which is to be eliminated. The entire length of the new channel will be 9.4 km, 6 km of which is the already existing canal section.

 

Restoration and regulation of natural water regime of sodic lakes
Sodic lakes in Nagy-szik and Magdolna-puszta were fed by rainwater arriving from the on average 10-15 metres higher lying Hajdúhát until about a century ago. At present Magdolna-ér channels rainwater onto the project site principally in the spring season, and, unfavourably, discharges it into the Kadarcs-Karácsonyfok Channel, together with precipitation falling on the latter area. The water quality of Magdolna-ér was measured on two occasions in 2007 at locations where it conveyed only rainwater, and it proved to be of excellent quality. Therefore it is our primary objective to hold this rainwater in the area and let it evaporate there.
To achieve this, by obstructing one of the sluices of Magdolna-ér with earth the entire amount of good quality rainwater will be retained in the area. To realise an appropriate extent of flooding in Nagy-szik, in the Magdolna-ér right next to the road to Hajdúszoboszló a stop-log dam will be built mainly of natural materials such as wood and stone. So as to restore the natural water regimes, we must first restore the original conditions of the ground surface and eliminate the artificial channels. In Magdolna-puszta 5.1 km, in Nagy-szik 2.3 km banks and channels flowing into Magdolna-ér will be eliminated.
The entire reach of Magdolna-ér located in Magdolna-puszta, in the sodic lake bed will be obstructed with earth taken from the banks on the two sides, (5.6 km). No other sources of earth will be utilised. In accordance with the preliminary water management study, the total elimination of Magdolna-ér in Nagy-szik is not possible, since in this case the reach under the Eastern Main Canal would silt up and thereby would arrest the flow of diverted rainwater from Hajdúhát onto the project site. That is why restoration of Magdolna Channel was planned in a way so that it would lose its channel nature entirely. Instead of the present bed, a 5-10 wide, flat bed will be created with a bank slope of 1 : 5. This will meander with a 15-20 m wide water surface and a maximum depth of 60-80 cm, connecting the water bodies of sodic lakes. To achieve this, slumped steep banks will be flattened, unwanted embankments will be removed and utilised during sodic lake shoreline restoration works.
In addition to rainwater detention, it is imperative that effluents and wastewater should not enter the area continuously in the summer period. However, at present a water quantity of 500 l/s arrives from the catchment area Hajdúhát through the Magdolna-ér in the summer months, which mainly comprises irrigation wastewater. This water is to be diverted towards Virágoskúti channel to prevent it from flooding the project site in its dry period. In the place of the present obstruction by earth a sluice (capacity: 500 l/s diameter: Ø 80 cm) is planned to be installed at the bed level of the channel and at the same time an Ogee-type weir will be mounted in Magdolna-ér 60 cm higher. Thereby small summer waters up to a water level of 60 cm will be diverted to Virágoskúti channel. The weir comprises three rows of piles knocked down very closely to each other, the slope and the spillway bucket will be covered with a wattle mat to prevent rapid wearing out. High waters in the spring period, while sluices in the Virágoskúti channel are closed, will flow over this weir and through Magdolna-ér.

 

Restoration of sodic lakes and their catchment areas

This action can be divided into three separate units: Restoration of formerly misused sodic lake bed, restoration of sodic lake shoreline and rehabilitation of catchment areas.
1) Restoration of formerly misused sodic lake bed

After the two world wars at certain, lower parts of the sodic lake beds in Nagy-szik borrow pits were excavated to gain building material for the construction of residential houses in the vicinity of the lakes. As a result of erosion, animal farming activities and frequent water cover most of these damaged sites have already merged into the natural lakebed. On the north-western, five-hectare large corner of the area, however, borrowing activities were interrupted, and heaps of unused earth were left on the site. These were later populated by valueless ruderal weed vegetation and at many places by the introduced oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia).
Unwanted earth on the five-hectare site will be removed to an average depth of 0.5 m with bulldozers and excavators and will be transported from the area by trucks. Salt-affected soils in the Hortobágy comprise three layers, with salt accumulation in the middle one. In the course of implementation, exclusively the upper layer will be removed, thus the salt-affected layer will get to the surface. The lakebed created this way, similarly to natural lakebeds, will be interspersed with inlets, islets and mudflats during periods of uneven, shallow water cover.
The deepest point of the sodic lakebed in Nagy-szik, where the borrow pits and the natural lakebed merged for varied reasons, partly silted up and organic matter accumulation developed. As an initial stage here marshy vegetation will be grazed out by livestock of mixed breeds. As a result of livestock trampling, the land will become poached and a small proportion of the accumulated organic matter will loosen and be blown out of the lakebed by the wind (deflation). However, as a result of the one-decade long misuse organic matter accumulation has reached such a high level that it has proven necessary to artificially remove the unwanted layer of mud on certain parts of the bed.  One of the most valuable mudflat plant associations in the Carpathian Basin (Heliotropium supinum-Verbena supinum) can be found here, the protection and conservation of which must not be neglected in the course of the implementation.

2)  Restoration of sodic lake shoreline

The shoreline of the sodic lake in Nagy-szik lies on 90.0 MASL. The natural, slumped shoreline is conspicuous on the eastern and southern edges of the area. On the eastern side the town partly occupies the sodic lakebed. Restoration and rehabilitation of this shoreline is of crucial importance to exclude urban water pollutants from the area and to eliminate the threats affecting the sodic lake’s water. Removal of this factor will contribute to the sustainability of the sodic lake. The 2.7 km long embankment to be created to look similar to the natural, slumped shoreline will follow the line of the houses on the fringe of town on the eastern edge of the area. Its crest height will be 90.20 MASL, and its width 10-15 m, with scalloped wall similar to natural shorelines. It is to be built by utilising earth removed from the bank of Magdolna-ér, the eliminated borrow pit heaps and the excavated diversion ditch in Balmazújváros.

3) Returfing and clearance of catchment areas

The catchment area on the eastern side of the sodic lake in Nagy-szik has been under agricultural cultivation, which has a polluting impact on the lakes. To protect the area, the land for sale there will be purchased, returfed, then cut and grazed. For returfing purposes a seed mix of indigenous herbs will be purchased. The grass will be cut on a yearly basis, and the hay will be utilised as fodder for livestock kept for nature protection purposes. After the area has been mown, it will be grazed. Weed-infested tracts of the lakes’ catchment area on the project site will be cut as well to make it suitable for grazing. Thereby rainwater will rapidly flow from grazed sites into the lakebed.

 

4. Site management

Ecologically sustainable high level grazing

This action is composed of three separate but related sections. In case any of these sub-actions are not implemented entirely, the planned action cannot be realised either. The most important aim after the restoration has been implemented is to secure the management of the area, which, based on our experience gained during previous LIFE projects, can be realised exclusively with the application of livestock of indigenous breeds grazed at an ecologically sustainable high level.

 

1) The establishment of conditions for livestock kept for conservation purposes

All domestic animals kept for conservation purposes must be kept enclosed during the night in accordance with the relevant animal welfare and veterinary regulations. In addition, a winter shelter must be provided in the vicinity of pastures. As there is no appropriate for the location of the shelters on the project site, it is more feasible to buy two existing farms. Two sites will provide sufficient space for all of our own livestock kept for conservation purposes.
These animals will be herded, looked after and watered by two traditionally clad herdsmen (employed by the Hortobágy Environmental Association) on horseback. They will be responsible for setting up and upkeep of the mobile electric fences and carry out smaller repairs on the buildings.
Nagy-szik most appropriate for demonstrational purposes and to retain rainwater. During the growing season, livestock will mostly be kept in the lowest depressions of the Nagy-szik and the areas surrounding it, in the vicinity of the visitor centre. To ensure this, a set of mobile electric fence is to be purchased to enclose an area of at least 10 hectares. This will be set up only outside of the birds’ breeding season on parts of the Nagy-szik overgrown with Sea Club-rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus) or sedge (Typha spp). Outside of this season the pigs and the fence will be kept at the privately owned Kerek-fenék.

2) The establishment of the desirable livestock population and grazing system on the project site

The Hortobágy National Park was established in the early 1970s, with the primary aim to protect and conserve the natural, landscape and cultural heritage of the grazed puszta. The number of domestic animals that time, though already very low, could be regarded acceptable today.
As a first step, restoration of this seems feasible, although we are aware of the fact that the region of Hortobágy receives ten times as much nitrogen from the atmosphere and flooding waters one hundred times richer in nitrogen and phosphorous than at the turn of the 20th century. However, the regulations on animal welfare and animal hygiene have changed significantly since then and, at the same time, economic interests have also been altered in the past four decades. In general, it has become acceptable again to establish livestock density of 1-1.5 LSU (Livestock unit)/ ha to achieve an optimal level of grazing (1 LSU is equivalent to 1 horse, or 1 cattle, or 1buffalo, or 7 sheep/goats, 5 pigs or 3 donkeys). The lakebeds and catchment areas of sodic lakes overgrown by vegetation can graze up to 1.5 LSU/ ha initially, a figure supported by the results of the project No LIFENAT2002/H/8638. In order to achieve this density we secure lease contracts with the Hortobágy National Park from the tenancy period starting in 2009. We will try to establish the common ground with other tenants to reach the goals of conservation during negotiations held on a yearly basis. Grazing stock densities and allocation of land will be based on these meetings. In the course of the project, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate will be requested to offer the 150 ha part of the sodic lake most valuable from a conservationist point of view and at the same time the least suitable for grazing to be leased by the Hortobágy Environmental Association for purposes of ecologically sustainable high levels of grazing, for the implementation of which 100 ingenious cattle, 10 horses, 10 donkeys, 60 Mangalica pigs, 1200 domestic geese and 200 Racka sheep will be purchased by our association.
The field assistant will harmonise the environmental and economic goals, be in continuous contact with the farmers and provide them with information on funding available on NATURA 2000 sites, marketing opportunities and EU legislation. He will make proposals for the introduction of organic land use methods on the leased sites. He will inform locals on the activities of the pasturage unions and on ways to join the programme.
The most valuable and lowest parts of the sodic lake can be found on the very outskirts of Balmazújváros, an area that has been managed by livestock of mixed breeds for centuries. The animals included some hundreds of domestic geese, which also served conservational purposes by controlling vegetation appearing in shallows. For this very purpose are we to employ them in the course of the present project. This phenomenon was described in one of the ornithological journals published in 1920. With the disruption of this system the natural assets of sodic lakes also disappeared or dwindled significantly, that is why its re-introduction is of crucial importance to secure the long-term preservation of these natural values.
This system, however, is not able to re-establish itself without support. The following programme has been devised to achieve this goal, which particularly those living on the outskirts with gardens bordering the Hortobágy National Park are invited to take part in. They must undertake to keep 4-10 sheep purchased by the project and graze them on the project site during the day, as well as to provide shelter for these animals for the night and winter periods. The necessary supplementary fodder and veterinary care are also to be ensured by the participants, who will also be required to keep the sheep on the site until late October and maintain at least 50% of the livestock until the end of the programme. The participants will have ownership of the progeny. These conditions will be secured by contractual agreements. During the day animals will be looked after by the Hortobágy Environmental Association’s staff. The supervision and management of this activity will be planned and implemented as external assistance by one employee of the Foundation for the Nagy szik in Balmazújváros, since a workable system will be adaptable for the sustainable management of sodic lakes in the entire Carpathian Basin. We expect that participants will purchase additional numbers of livestock from their own resources thus enhancing grazing intensity on the project site.

 

Elimination of invasive plant species from the catchments

Manually implemented removal of invasive and introduced plant species (neophytes) from the project site will be subcontracted in each year of the project period. A 5 ha stand of Salidago canadensis in Nagy-szik will have to be pulled out one by one during the growing season on an annual basis. We will have the woody perennials (estimated number: 2,000) cut down on the project site apart from the ones found on the woodland lots. Elaeagnus angustifolia is especially numerous. Previous experience showed that the most appropriate time to remove these species is the hottest summer months and that it is a task that must be repeated over the years to ensure complete elimination. This work will be facilitated by livestock grazing the area at an ecologically sustainable high level. Wood will be utilised to heat the eco-centre during the winter months.

 

Elimination of illegal waste dumps, transportation of communal waste off the site.

The feasibility study compiled by the Hortobágy Environmental Association for the Local Government of Balmazújváros in 2006 and preliminary studies show that there is about 400 m3 illegally disposed waste on the site that pollutes the surface waters. The safe disposal of this waste is urgent, so subcontractors will be invited to collect the waste and dispose of it securely in the designated dump. Collection, transportation and waste handling costs will be covered by the subcontractor.
Waste found elsewhere on the site will be collected by our volunteers on an annual basis and will be transported with the help of the local government to the waste processing plant. If possible we will employ recycling methods.

 

Increased presence of ranger services on the project site

Due to the construction of hides, information boards, trails and other infrastructure, an increased presence of the national park ranger is desirable for the protection of these assets. Since the number of visitors is also expected to increase in the area, there will be an intensified demand for additional on-site information. The ranger of the national park will visit the project site on a daily basis and will be in constant contact with the project staff.

 

5. Demonstration

Development of visitor facilities on the project site

To ensure efficiency, cost-effectiveness, better flow of information and enhanced service of the public and to lessen fuel utilisation, a small visitor centre and office will be constructed in the immediate vicinity of the project site to serve as a trailhead and centre for ecotourism services ensuring the long viability of the project. The 80 m2 large, traditionally designed building made of natural materials will house a small exhibition room on the project. We will use photographs, posters and interactive software for the exhibition, and on half of the available space we will present the most characteristic representatives of natural values of the project site and the other half will be devoted to the project history. The exhibition will be updated annually to track the significant milestones of the project. Separate posters will be exhibited on the importance of NATURA 2000 network and its significance in the conservation of natural heritage and its role in the application of traditional farming methods. Another room will serve as the office and project centre where staff will implement their duties and start their visits to the site. The monitoring activities will also be centred here, done by bicycles as the most appropriate means of transport to access the site and also to reduce greenhouse emission. The eco-centre will also provide professional guiding for all age-groups, with a special emphasis on the local population.
The centre will be the trailhead for the network of trails. The Hortobágy Environmental Association is to develop and designate the trails. The trails will be suitable for both bicycle and foot access, and partly for travel by car, since it will incorporate the already existing surfaced roads. The bicycle trail will run around the Nagy-szik and reach Magdolna-puszta. The trails improved during the project period will mostly allow access only in dry weather, but the area will partly be accessible during wet periods also by using the exiting surfaced roads. The programme includes the transformation of existing poor-quality dirt roads into cambered roads. We will construct three observation towers in the Nagy-szik and two in Magdolna-puszta. From these hides visitors will have an opportunity to get first hand impressions on the landscape, botanical, ornithological and cultural values of the site. The exact location and orientation of these hides is to be determined after the first breeding season when the movements and preferences of the birds are already known. Information for visitors will be provided on boards that will also give details on the LIFE+ project and NATURA 2000. To make the experience even more enjoyable, a bilingual leaflet will be distributed among visitors free of charge. The leaflets will be available at local and nearby hotels, tourist information offices and on the internet as well.

 

Development and running of eco-tourism services

The long-term upkeep of the project, with the continuing negative trends of budgetary cuts, can only be realised by utilising the income deriving from ecotourism services. It is necessary to sustain the grazing system, the active water management, as well as education and the transfer of knowledge.
The walks start from the eco-centre at set times. During the one-hour walk a trained guide will introduce the visitors in Hungarian or English to the landscape and natural values (plants, butterflies, amphibians, birds, etc.) of the close vicinity and the objectives and visible results of the project. 3 hour walks are designed to explore the Nagy-szik area, while a 6-hour bicycle programme will cover the entire project site with the purpose and in the form described above. Various discount schemes (family, student, pensioners’ and group) will be available. Upon request, one day minibus-excursions to other LIFE and Natura-2000 project sites will also be organised. However, access to the centre itself will be free of charge.
The services will be detailed in a leaflet, and advertised on the project homepage. The leaflet will be widely distributed locally.

 

Articles, publications and website

To disseminate the project results, two illustrated articles in the magazine TermészetBúvár, an annual account of the project in the local newspaper, a scientific paper will be published on the ornithological results of the project in the national ornithological journal, Aquila before the closing of the project. A 25-30 page illustrated publication featuring maps and photographs will also be published for the wider public. Everyone involved in the project will receive one copy and it will be available in the eco-centre and in the Hortobágy National Park’s visitor centre free of charge.
We will also publish a colour 300-400 page book in 1,000 copies on the conservation of sodic lakes in the Carpathian Basin before the closing of the project. The book will incorporate all available information on sodic lakes and will also include the project’s results and lessons learnt. Based on the results and recommendations of the book, the public is expected to pay more attention to the significance of the sodic lakes and their conservation, restoration and rehabilitation not only in the states of the Carpathian Basin but also EU-wide. It is of crucial importance because sodic lakes are one of the most threatened habitat types in Europe and they receive very little attention. This will be the most significant demonstrative result of the project.

 

6. Overall project operation and monitoring

Overall project operation

The primary aim of this action is to ensure the efficient and timely implementation of all project activities. The HEA Board of Leaders and Control Commission take full responsibility for the implementation of the project, with the associated administrative and financial aspects. The project manager, Zoltán Ecsedi was responsible for the LIFE project implemented by the Hortobágy Environmental Association successfully between 2002 and 2006 and took on a significant role to prepare this project proposal. The project manager will be responsible for the full technical and financial implementation of the project and also for coordinating the activities of the stakeholders as indicated in the following table. His further tasks include the compilation of technical and financial reports as foreseen in the project proposal and liaising with the European Commission and the Monitoring Team. He will be responsible to secure the Hortobágy Environmental Association’s capital necessary for the project implementation, and he will employ the staff based on their abilities (higher education professional degree, fluency in English, in the case of herdsmen horse riding skills) and new staff will be approved by the board of leaders of the Hortobágy Environmental Association. The management will be housed initially in the present office of the Hortobágy Environmental Association in Balmazújváros and after the completion of the new eco-centre it will be moved to the project site. This will be the headquarters of the project where weekly meetings will be held to discuss tasks to be done and evaluate the progress of works.
The manager oversees the field assistant (János Oláh), the office assistant (Regina Szegedi), two shepherds and the warden, who are to carry out the following tasks:
Field assistant: Co-ordination and supervision of activities in the field, communication with the farmers and project partners, monitoring and guiding tasks, compilation of supporting documents for reports. The office assistant will be responsible for collection of invoices, liaising with the accountant’s office, Personal Assistant’s tasks for the project manager, foreign language correspondence, compilation of supplementary documents for reports, translation of shorter texts and design and proofreading of publications and the website.
The field assistant is to supervise employees (Gyula Nagy and József Kiss) whose main task is to take care of our own livestock on a daily basis, but occasionally they assist in other types of field works as well.

 

Monitoring

1) Monitoring of avifauna

Our experience gained from the Hortobágy Environmental Association’s successfully closed previous LIFE project evidenced that the changes in birdlife are the most appropriate indicators of the effectiveness of a habitat restoration programme. Breeding, migrating and feeding groups of the avifauna are to be studied separately. Breeding species’ numbers will be surveyed with direct counting and territory mapping methods. In the course of area visits on 10-12 occasions during one breeding season the number of territories will be recorded. Following the breeding season with the help of these maps the exact number of territories and breeding pairs will be determined. Based on the four-year data the population trends will assessed for each species. The success of the project is indicated by the population growth of species confined to sodic lakes and their catchment areas, followed by either a positive trend of further increase after the closure of the project or a stabilization of the numbers. The population changes of key species will be compared to the changes recorded in other areas of the Hortobágy to see whether the alterations occurred only on the project site and are results of the project activities or they are parts of a general trend affecting the entire Hortobágy. To monitor the changes in the numbers of migrating species gives another important indicator to assess the project’s results. On a weekly basis all the species will be recorded on the entire project site. We establish the numbers with the application of direct counting and estimation methods in the case of more numerous species. At the end of each year we will compare the results with data gained from other sites in the Hortobágy. In the middle of each month data will be recorded to execute the national and worldwide water bird synchronized censuses. With the evaluation of this data we can estimate the national and global importance of the site in the case of various species.

2) Monitoring of plant associations

Sodic lakes can easily be identified by their special floristic associations.  The monitoring of these associations provides us with exact data on the extent and viability of these lakes, and necessitates no further monitoring tools besides the ornithological. To establish trends the extent of the plant class Continental succulent and annual lakebed vegetation (Thero-Suaedetea), including the orders of Continental succulent sodic vegetation (Camphorosmo-Salicornietalia) and Annual sodic lakebed and mud vegetation (Crypsidetalia aculeatae), and the order of Nanocyperetalia from the class of Isoeto-nanojuncetea will be studied.
The extent of the associations listed below will be recorded with a GPS and palmtop computer, then denoted on distribution maps with the application of the Geographic Information System and listed (in square meters) in a table format as well. One map will be prepared in the growing season on a yearly basis. Based on the surveyed data and maps, in the Final Report the success of the project actions will be assessed in relation to the specific plant associations.