PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes (habitat 1530*), an iconic priority habitat of the Pannonian region, found in only a few EU countries, are facing rapid changes due to the combined effect of human-induced climate change, past drainage, and lack of habitat management. These changes reduce the breeding and foraging areas of meadow waders and promote the spread of invasive and problematic native plant species as well as of native and invasive predators. As a result, priority bird species such as the Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Garganey, and Pochard are at risk. This project aims to restore the natural mosaic character of sodic wetlands and ensure suitable water conditions at a 1038-hectare habitat network. It aims to increase the breeding success and abundance of priority bird species while reducing invasive species. Infrastructure developments will retain more than 10 million m³ of water, significantly enhancing the area's water retention capacity and mitigating climate change. The project will also develop and promote the "Complex Management Method" that provides an innovative solution to the threats posed to sodic marshes and priority bird species. A ground-breaking AI-based field-monitoring software will also be developed, using drones for precise field monitoring with thermal camera-based nest site identification and automatic species identification and the monitoring of nocturnally active mammalian predators, a key threat to ground-nesting birds. The project will create detailed feasibility plans to help the successful replication and the restoration of other sodic marshes. By doing so, it will significantly contribute to the implementation of the EU Restoration Law, the EU Green Deal, the EU Climate change adaptation policy and other EU policies. The project builds upon the positive experiences of previous LIFE programs, and from the planning stage, it focuses on the replicability of the results and ensures the way for up-scaling.