Scops Owls! Return to the Hungarian Green Belt!

How to motivate students to get active to protect the Hungarian Green Belt? The BESTbelt project "Living Landscapes" found a good recipe: invite 12 really enthusiastic students and 6 excellent trainers, build 45 Scops Owl nest boxes, establish 10 Veteran Tree Reserves and run 9 interactive sessions!

A group of 12 participants at the beginning of the training, right after the icebreakers and the world café. © Dr. Ákos Klein
Trainees help at installing nest boxes for Scops Owls. This endangered owl species suffers from a shortage of large hollow trees in the landscape. © Dr. Ákos Klein
Tree planting in stepping-stone habitats to create veteran trees for the future. Solitary mature trees are missing from the Hungarian landscape. © Dr. Ákos Klein

The aim of the BESTbelt project “Living Landscape” is to support the conservation of the mosaic landscape along the Hungarian Green Belt through awareness-raising and practical conservation activities.

One of the most important events of the project was a six-day student training and practical conservation camp in the Őrség National Park (in cooperation with our partner organisation). During the camp, students helped to install 45 Scops Owl nest boxes to create stepping stones between ideal habitats, providing crucial nesting sites for this highly protected and endangered species. They also played an active role in the creation of ten Veteran Tree Reserves - small, fenced-off areas that protect mature trees in the landscape for future generations.

The programme also included a landscape history excursion, a meeting with a nature documentary filmmaker, a world café discussion with national park staff, and six interactive indoor lectures to give students a well-rounded introduction to landscape ecology and conservation.

Additional activities, such as an early morning bird ringing session and a final forest walk, provided further opportunities to explore the rich habitats of the former Iron Curtain region of the Hungarian Green Belt.

The final feedback session confirmed that the training programme had been a resounding success.

 

Watch this Youtube video to get an impression of the training!

 

The project "Living Landscape - restoration of a landscape mosaic along the Hungarian Green Belt" is implemented by the Barn Owl Foundation in collaboration with the Őrség National Park Directorate from October 2024 to July 2026 and is financed by the EU-funded BESTbelt project.

 

Contact

Ákos Klein; barnowlfoundation(at)gmail.com (The Barn Owl Foundation)

Project website: https://gyongybagoly.hu/elo_taj/living-landscape/