The map presents the data collected within the ConnectGREEN Project that was implemented between June 2018 and October 2021. The data were collected in accordance with the “Methodology for identification of ecological corridors in the Carpathian countries by using large carnivores as umbrella species” (Okanikova et al, 2021) developed within the ConnectGREEN Project.

The pilot area included Bükk National Park in Hungary and Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area in Slovakia. The objective of fieldwork in the pilot area was to maintain / restore ecological corridors secure a viable population of large carnivores in the Carpathians. The selected joint approach was meant to accelerate the implementation processes and put into practice much-awaited infrastructure developments that faces the risk of being delayed due to non-conformity with safety and environmental standards. In the thematic map you can find data on barriers – built-up areas, roads, railways and fences, information about observation points, waterways and non-forest areas.

More information about the ConnectGREEN Project can be found on the official project website https://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/connectgreen

ConnectGREEN’s fourth pilot area is situated in the western Carpathians on the border between Hungary and Slovakia, which sustains an enormously rich plant and animal kingdom, thanks to the area’s unique climate and its unusually varied terrain. The northern section of the pilot area consists of the Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area (PLA) in Slovakia: spanning across 16,771 hectares, its territory is predominantly covered by Pannonian flora, which sets it apart from the rest of Slovakia. The northern, more alpine section of the PLA, hosts viable populations of all three European large carnivore species, while the middle part, which is transected by the I/16 first class road and the future R2 expressway, acts only as a transitory area for large carnivores. In the south, experts have confirmed a permanent presence of wolves and recorded sightings of bears. Still functioning migration corridors across the border to the Bükk, Aggtelek and Duna-Ipoly National Parks in Hungary ensure that this is the area in the country where large carnivores are most likely to be encountered. The Bükk National Park Directorate manages 884,736 hectares, 43,169 ha of which form the national park, while the rest is divided among 9 landscape protection reserves, 14 nature conservation areas and 39 natural monuments.

On the Hungarian side of the pilot area, the team, supported by the ASP Bükk National Park Directorate and Bükk Mammal Research Group Association, used modelling performed with previously gathered data to designate monitoring sites that were best suited to provide crucial information on the routes of migratory wildlife. The methods deployed in the field encompassed linear transect methods, camera trapping, acoustic monitoring and the evaluation of data received from third parties, such as roadkill incidents. On the Slovak half of the pilot area, the mapping was realised by local experts, who sought to verify the permeability of migration corridors previously identified in digital modelling.

Contact for the pilot area is Lukas Zahorec [email protected] and Gabriella Nagy [email protected]

• Ecological corridor
• GIS
• Green infrastructure
• Planning
• Country
  • Hungary
  • Slovakia
• Theme
  • Biodiversity
  • Ecological corridors
  • Spatial planning
• Project area
  • Bükk National Park (Hungary) / Ceroviná vrchovina Protected Landscape Area (Slovakia)
• Project
  • ConnectGREEN
• Species
  • Large mammals
• Language
  • English