Cross-border coordination of ecologic monitoring activities within NATURA 2000 sites in the area of Lake Fertő and the Hanság

The project partners have achieved effective cooperation in the cross-border management of the protected areas of Lake Fertő region, and ecotourism development in the past decades, but their cooperation in ecological monitoring was limited to individual cases without an institutional background.
 
Therefore, the overall objective of the project is the coordination of conservation activities (mainly ecological monitoring) on both sides of the border, where a new approach is applied with a uniform methodology and coordinated implementation.

That is why the project partners disclosed their current conservation monitoring programs in the course of project preparation, and then jointly designated target species and habitats that should be explored in the project in a coordinated manner. The thus established common research projects include besides bird monitoring, botanical and faunal studies of other target species and habitats, as well as limnological and hydrobiological research activities of the Lake Fertő and Hanság areas. Furthermore, smaller habitat restoration measures and cross-border development of the birdwatching infrastructure are planned to minimize the disruptive effect of visitors to the breeding grounds.
 
The aim of the partners is to make the research results available not only to experts but to the general public as well, thus also awareness raising activities are planned (for example, common data collection), which allow the active involvement of the local population. To promote the transfer of best practices organisation of transnational symposia are planned.

Coordinated monitoring programs and habitat restoration projects will serve as a basis for the cross-border management of Natura 2000 areas of the Lake Fertő region, and thus contribute to stabilizing, improving their conservation degree.

Name and contact of the project contact person:

Dorogman Csilla

Project manager

Fertő-Hanság National Park Directorate

H-9435 Sarród, Rév-Kócsagvár

Mobile: +3630/382-8746

E-mail: dorogman.csilla@fhnp.hu

Partnership:

 

Lead Partner:

• Fertő-Hanság National Park Directorate (FHNPI)

 

Further project partners:

• PP2 – State Burgenland Department 4 (Biology Station Neusiedler See, Illmitz) (BSI)
• PP3 – National Park Neusiedler See – Seewinkel (NPNSSW)
• PP4 – WasserCluster Lunz – Biology Station GmbH. (WCL)

Research topics (abbreviation of the involved partner behind the topic):

• Habitat use of wild geese in the region Lake Fertő (FHNPI, BSI, NPNSSW) and the Hanság (FHNPI)
• Habitat use of swans in the region Lake Fertő and in the Hanság (FHNPI)
• Habitat use of the corncrake in the Hanság (FHNPI)
• Monitoring of waterbirds (FHNPI, BSI)
• Habitat use of the marsh harrier and white-tailed eagle (FHNPI)
• Cross-border analysis of the ecology of reed birds: survey of migration and population dynamics of the moustached warbler (FHNPI, BSI)
• Survey of interaction between water birds and soda pans (FHNPI, BSI, WCL)
• Limnology survey for supporting the management of the reed belt of Lake Fertő (FHNPI)
• Hydro-biologic survey for supporting the management of the area Nyirkai-Hany (FHNPI)
• Survey of amphibians and reptiles in the Natura 2000 sites of the border region (FHNPI)
• Survey of bat fauna in the Natura 2000 sites of the border region (FHNPI)
• Survey of aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna of the Ikva River and the Sopron Mountains (FHNPI)
• Mapping and evaluation of xylophagous insects in Natura 2000 forest sites of the border region, in the Rábaköz and the Hanság (FHNPI)
• General faunistic survey of Natura 2000 butterfly species via diurnal and nocturnal sampling (FHNPI, BSI)
• General faunistic survey of Natura 2000 dragonfly species (FHNPI, BSI)
• Survey of the  narrow-mouthed whorl snail in the border region (BSI)
• Biotope maps of the Natura 2000 sites Határmenti-erdők, Fertőmelléki-dombsor and Soproni-hegység (Sopron Mountains) (FHNPI)

 

 

Book, publications issued during the project:

• Flora of Lake Fertő (FHNPI)
• Atlas of protected butterflies (FHNPI)
• Conference book about research results of the projects (FHNPI)
• Avifauna of Lake Fertő region (BSI)
• Where to watch birds around Lake Neusiedl (NPNSSW)
• Brochure „Artenliste – die Vögel des Neusiedler See - Gebiets“ (Species list of birds in the Lake Fertő region)(2018, 2020 – NPNSSW)

 

Repeating programs for the public within the project:

• European Moth Night
• Bat Night

 

Public documents of the project:

Final reports of research activities will be available from May 2020 on.

 

 

Project events:

• April 18th 2020: European Moth Night. Location: Pan-European Picnic (crossing point Sopronkőhida – St. Margarethen)
• August 22nd 2020: Bat Night. Location: Esterházy Castle Fertőd