PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Prior to the launch of the LIFE project, not much was known so about the population of wolf and lynx in Hungary. A few specimens had been observed, but was this enough to state that there was a stable population in the country, or were these animals just occasional vagrants from the still-thriving populations in the Carpathian mountains of Slovakia and Ukraine? All that was known for sure was that in Hungary, both species were mainly restricted to the largely forested areas of the northern ranges (especially the Zemplén and Aggtelek hill country), site of several national parks. The region also saw the management of its extensive forests handed over to large private enterprises in the late 1990s. As Hungary developed its market economy, the tourism industry started to thrive, claiming sections of the northern ranges for visitor access. These new developments in tourism and forestry increased the human pressure on the area, delivering new threats to the already marginal populations of both species.
OBJECTIVES
The project hoped to produce an accurate estimate of the distribution of wolf and lynx in Hungary, and to prepare the ground for their long-term conservation. Parallel to the field work that would involve questionnaires, tracking of individual animals and training of field workers to detect the presence of wolf and lynx, species management plans were to be drafted and a system for damage compensation developed, through close collaboration between the beneficiary (a state university) and the Hungarian Ministry of the Environment. A public relations campaign would round off the project measures. The Ministry of the Environment, as a partner of the project, committed itself to apply the results of the management plan (including a compensation scheme for wolf and lynx damages) after the end of the project.
RESULTS
One of the main project objectives, namely building a foundation for the long-term conservation of the wolf and lynx in Hungary was achieved. Together with the involvement and agreement of all relevant stakeholders, the project drew up a series of national species conservation action plans (SCAP) for the wolf and lynx that were subsequently approved by the Minister of the Environment. This resulted in an updating of the legal protection status of the wolf to “strictly protected”, with the penalties for killing a wolf or a lynx increasing considerably (from 50,000 to 250,000 HUF and from 250,000 to 500,000 HUF respectively). Furthermore, a number of Natura 2000 sites were designated for wolf and lynx protection. The project developed a system for assessing and compensating damages caused by wolves and lynxes, which resulted in a government decree on compensation (Decree No. 276/2004, 12/2005), approved in 2004. The beneficiary developed a GIS database to record and evaluate the distribution of wolf and lynx and to determine the suitable habitats for large carnivores. The database can be extended as necessary, and both past and future information can be incorporated therein. Questionnaires within the project were sent out in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The response ratio was about 40% each year. The results of these questionnaire surveys closely matched the data from similar surveys regularly conducted since 1987. According to these, the occurrence of large carnivores in Hungary is currently strongest in the northern mountains. The wolf regularly appears in the Zemplén Hills and around Aggtelek and irregularly appears in the Bükk Hills, as well. Additionally, there are wolf occurrences in the southern part of the plain between the Danube and Tisza rivers (Duna-Tisza köze) and on the Drava-plain. The occurrence of the lynx is limited to the northern mountains, with its appearance rather scattered and observations often ambiguous. It most commonly occurs in the Börzsöny and Zemplén Hills, the Aggtelek Karst and sometimes the Mátra or Bükk mountains. The project also developed a multilevel monitoring system and an fur-determination methodology and trained field experts in their use. The beneficiary, together with WWF Hungary, organised ten workshops for sector professionals. The project also held several other meetings for the general public, produced panels and placards to inform locals, and helped to integrate the subject into the local education curriculum. The project was also featured in more than 60 articles in the mass media. Additionally, the beneficiary was involved in the production of a successful television documentary, Wolf on the edge. The film was shown to more than 1100 people at special screenings. As a result, public awareness of the importance of protection of the wolf and lynx was significantly increased. The beneficiary participated in five international conferences (including the European Large Carnivore Initiative) and in two domestic conferences. Moreover, it developed good personal contact with carnivore experts working just across the Slovakian border from the project area. As a result of the project, Hungary has now developed inter-governmental co-operation with Slovakia in the field of conservation. However, the foreseen results from the radio-telemetry studies aiming to track individual wolves and lynx in the field were not achieved, mainly due to the failure in trapping adult large carnivores which in turn was a result of the legal restrictions in the use of certain trapping methods, as well as reduced animal occurrence. Consequently, the project’s goals regarding the establishment of three model areas on forest management, as well as an analysis of preferred habitat types, were not achieved. The latest estimates of the wolf and lynx populations in Hungary showed also that the main aim of the LIFE project, namely the establishment of stable, reproductive populations of wolf and lynx in Hungary could not be achieved within the project duration.
