Oasis at the Foot of the Vértes Mountains28 October 2010
Pro Vértes Nature Protection Public Foundation, which is in charge of Vértes Nature Park, was awarded a Union grant of 144 mln HUF for habitat reconstruction projects under the Environment and Energy Operational Programme. The project can be implemented with 100 percent support from the European Union.
All the interventions planned for the Vértes Nature Park are intended to restore the earlier natural state, to reconstruct existing wetland habitats or modernise the facilities that served them earlier but that are now over twenty-five years old.
The plans for the Nature Park include the complete rejuvenation of the Csíkvarsa Meadow crossed by Császár Brook, and the Old Lake in Csákberény. Strengthening the dam wall and restoring the lake basin will help turn the semi-arid dolomite hillside steppe at the foot of the Vértes Mountains into a small patch of bog to serve as an oasis for the local ecosystem. With the complete reconstruction of the Old Lake site, the lake can be filled again, creating opportunities for enhancing the biodiversity in the area.
The project will help create a self-sustaining water management system to replace existing water level control arrangements that rely on regular human intervention, making the long-term sustainability of the wetland habitats independent from active human presence.
The bid also covers the enlargement of wetland habitat in brickyard borrow pits that were excavated by brick-makers mining clay in the early 18th century.
The project also includes the rehabilitation of the Császár Brook and the reconstruction of the Császár collecting ditch structures.
The development will result in the complex water management and restoration of a total area of about 630 hectares. Project completion is expected at the end of 2012.
There were twenty-three winning projects in the scheme “Habitat protection and restoration, mitigating the environmental damage caused by line structures” under the Environment and Energy Operational Programme. The EU grants awarded amount to 5.5 billion HUF.