Activities of the Pogány-havas Regional Association in 2011

In January we started the project "A mirror in our relationship with the environment - discovering our natural treasures" with László Demeter. The project aimed to strengthen the relationship between rural communities and the surrounding natural environment through the collection of stories which talk about this relationship. We worked with about 500 school children, who collected stories, and enjoyed theoretical courses and practical activities about their natural environment.

In April Prof. Rainer Waldhardt and Manuel Kurz from Justus Liebig University Germany spent four day in our region and collected soil to analyze seed diversity of the agricultural landscape.

In May we hosted His Royal Highness Charles Prince of Wales and his guests, officials and security team. HRH visited an area of wet meadows where we conduct biological research, on the animals and plants of temporary ponds, and then visited Barbara and Gergő’s home where he met many of our collaborators, tasted our cheese, learned to mow in the garden, and inquired about our projects which support traditional agriculture and biodiversity conservation.

In June we organized a workshop with the European Forum for Nature Conservation and Pastoralism (EFNCP), Adept Foundation, Mozaic Project, Green Agora and several specialists. With these colleagues, we created the High Nature Value Farming (HNV) Coalition of Romania. The objective of this coalition is to propose agriculture and rural development policies based on scientific research.

We organized a conference in the European Parliament in Brussels on HNV farming and the Common Agricultural Policy with the support of three members of the parliament. Partner organizations were the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) Birdlife International and European Forum for Nature Conservation and Pastoralism (EFNCP).

The list of winner LEADER Local Action Groups in Romania was presented and the Pogány-havas organization as part of the Csík LEADER Local Action Group was amongst them.

We managed to write 23 grant applications for semi-subsistence farms. All applications were accepted.

Tom Woolman, a recent graduate from Harper Adams agricultural University in England, spent three months in our region, enjoying work experience with two village farming families. We would be delighted to host other young farmers from Western Europe: this is a great opportunity for cultural exchange and mutual learning, as well as a lot of fun.

In July we were visited by two specialists. Nicky Penford is a lecturer at the Scottish Agricultural College. She’s working directly with farmers too, providing them professional advice. She came for a study visit because of her interest in traditional agriculture and its importance in supporting local communities and wildlife. Elizabeth Davidson is a professor at Arizona State University, USA, specialist in insects, and came for the third time.

In July we also hosted a group of volunteers from England. EUCAN (European Conservation Action Network) brought a group of 16 conservation volunteers and specialists to survey butterflies and moths. They found an astonishing 95 species of butterflies and 325 moths.

August: we hosted Rural'Est 2011, which is a network of young sociology researchers from all over Europe. They meet annually to discuss rural development in Eastern Europe.

August: organized the third "International Hay Making Festival". During the six-day event we had participants from the United Kingdom, Norway, Austria, Hungary and Ireland.

September: we carried out interviews with two groups of farmers and a group of experts as part of a wider sociological research. The objective of the research was to collect data about subsidies, grants and the future of agriculture.

In September we organized a second workshop with the HNV Farming Coalition in Romania. During the two day event we formulated suggestions for the future Common Agricultural Policy, based on the sociological research and the biodiversity research done by László Demeter, Csaba Vizauer and Anna-Mária Csergő.

In October we completed our sociological research, and are still finalising and analysing the results during November and December. The data will be very useful for our lobbying activities to improve Romanian and European agri-environment policy.

In November we were successful in a major grant application to the UNDP global environment facility, which will fund an 18 month project starting next April: Valuing mountain hay meadows. We also wrote an application to EFNCP, who have co-funded our work for the past two years.

In December we finally published a collection of papers from our 2010 conference: Mountain hay meadows, hotspots of biodiversity and traditional culture.

Summary of science projects managed by Laci Demeter and supported by Barbara’s Fund  in 2011

1. Amphibian migration

From February to May we ran a project on the migration of the grass frog and other amphibians in the surroundings of Delne and Csikszereda. Two streams were regularly visited in March to observe the drifting of the frogs. Approximately 30 frogs were marked in the Borzsova stream and one was recaptured in Torda valley (3 km aerial distance). This is the first proof that the common frogs breeding in Torda valley hibernate in the springs along the Borzsova stream.

Following the drifting behavior of the frogs we monitored the breeding activity using drift fences in the case of 3 ponds. We were able thus to quantify the breeding populations of frogs and newts, including young individuals. 

2. Effect of land use on plant diversity

In July and August we collected data on plant diversity in relation with land use. The goal of the study is to document and understand the plant diversity patterns of pastures, hay meadows and abandoned hay meadows, to inform agri-environment and rural development policies. We found that there are major differences between these land use types, hay meadows having on average a higher diversity than recently abandoned meadows, and the lowest diversity was found on pastures. We identified a high number of rarities, endemic species and collected data that are comparable to other similar studies in Europe. These data demonstrate that the studied area is among the most species-rich grasslands in Europe. Our data have strong policy implications, showing the need for separating hay meadow and pasture packages.

3. Mapping current patterns of mowing in the mountain hay meadow area

There are no available spatial data about current degree of abandonment in the priority habitats mountain hay meadows in the Eastern Carpathians. Official data summarize claims for agri-environment subsidies on the commune level, but the data have no spatial detail, and the degree of respecting the claims is not monitored on large scale by the authorities. From October to December we mapped mown meadows on a 60 km2 area in the Eastern Carpathians. The data show that on average only 14% of the meadows have been mown in 2011 with huge areas completely unmown. This implies a threat to biodiversity in the medium term. The policy implication is that subsidies should be more focused in order to be efficient in maintaining land use and biodiversity

4. Patterns of butterfly diversity in relation to land use and landscape structure

Between May and August we collected data on butterfly diversity on a 30 km transect to complete the data on the effect on land use on plant diversity. In total more than 90 species of day butterflies have been observed which is also a very high number on the European level. The analysis of the data is still in progress.

5. Building connections with local farmers related to the mountain hay meadows

In preparation for the coming year, we started networking with local farmers regarding the past and future of mountain hay meadows. We are interviewing people to learn about past management and personal experiences with mountain hay meadows and start involving them into the project Valuing  mountain hay meadows that officially starts in February 2012.

6. New Natura 2000 site

As a result of our work in the past two years, our proposal for a new Natura 2000 site for mountain hay meadows was officially accepted. The site’s official name is Muntii Ciucului SCI, code ROSCI0323.

The site covers close to 60 km2 in the Eastern Carpathians. It is known to host exceptionally high plant and butterfly diversity. At least plant diversity is closely linked to traditional farming. This is the first Natura 2000 site that was designated specifically for the mountain hay meadows. The fact that still a large number of people from the rural communities practice traditional farming and possess a well documented wealth of traditional ecological knowledge, makes this site a living cultural and natural landscape. We hope that this status will help in maintaining the viability of traditional farmer communities and the simultaneous preservation of natural treasures.