Project plan
Nimfea
Nature Conservation Association
Hungary
2004
Theme of project
Conservation
activities of Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca)
as a flagship species, in Romania and Hungary.
Objectives
The ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) is belonging to the globally threatend species
because of its declining population.
The
ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) is a protected
species in Hungary since 1982, and its is strictly protected
since 1992, because of its vulnerable status. The species
is protected in Romania.
The
MME Birdlife Hungary prepared a Red List, where the
ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) is mentioned among
the rare species. The European population of the species
is declining since the last decades. The area of the species
is getting teared, the western border of its area is tighten
to east. This tendency identify the population number
and its future in Hungary. The breeding pairs were estimated
1200-1600 pairs in the 1980s, today we estimate about
500-900 breeding pairs.
Concrete,
detailed informations are needed about the habitat-choosing,
feeding- and reproduction biology and the endangering
factors.
The
habitats where the ferruginous duck usually appeared and
breeded are well known, but the last six years there are
very few data on the occuring and breeding places.
A
well-based monitoring system would contribute to the adequate
data-collection on the present status, the endangering
factors, the habitat-choosing and the feeding- and reproduction
biology.
International lobby activities are planned to reach the international protection
and hunting-prohibition of the species.
Researches
should be done for data collection on migration. There
are no concrete information, where is the Hungarian ferruginous
duck population wintering, and what is their migration
route. The wintering and gathering sites also would be
surveyed in Romania.
The
fish-ponds of Hungary and Romania are very important habitats
of the ferruginous duck. Several cases the nature conservational
viewpoints are not considered during the fish-pond management
and many protected and specially protected species are
negatively effected because of the wrong management. The
habitats, where the ferruginous duck breed and regularly
occure are good and important protected species too. The
long term conservation management of these sites contribute
to the protection of many protected and specially protected
species. The ferruginous duck-friendly fish-pond management
will raise the nature conservational values of these artificial,
but very important habitats, as the pond-turtle (Emys
orbicularis), bittern (Botaurus stellaris),
little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), purple heron
(Ardea purpurea), otter (Lutra lutra), etc.,
are living in these habitats. The ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) as a flagship
species, contribute to the effective protection of many
other species, which live on the same habitat.
The
mortality of young birds is very high in the Trans-Tiszanian
region (this problem does not occur in the case of the
Wester-Hungarian population), and the reasons are not
known well. Researches have to be started on the better
understanding of this problem.
The
Nimfea Nature Conservation Association started the fish-pond
protection program in 1997. Several important habitats
were surveyed and good-relationship is built with the
owners of the fish-ponds, which is a good basis for a
long-term project and long term cooperation.
The
natural breeding-places are also known and protected,
but there are no data on the condition-changeing of these
habitats. The condition of the moorlands should be surveyed
to detect the negative changeing in their condition to
prevent the degradation of these sites.
Location
Hungary,
Great Plain, Trans-Tiszanian Region
Project summary
The ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) is a specially protected bird species in Hungary and
protected in Romania. The declining of the European population
can be detected in Hungary too, as less ferruginous ducks
are migrating through Hungary and the breeding-population
is declining. The breeding pairs were estimated 1200-1600
pairs in the 1980s, today we estimate about 500-900 breeding
pairs. The most of the breeding-population is breeding
on fish-ponds (many of them are not protected habitats).
The breeding pairs are endangered by the fish-pond management
as it does not consider nature conservational aims. Ferruginous
ducks are shoot down in large numbers in Southern-East
Europe, mainly by italian hunters, the present project
aim to initiate the international protection of the species
and the prohibition of the hunting. The project also aims
to reveal the endangering factors, the reasons of high
mortality among the young birds in the Trans-Tiszanian
region, which problem does not occur in the case of the
Western-hungarian population.
The
ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) prefers to breed
on islands, where other birds are breeding in colonies,
like terns and gulls. Unfortunatelly only few places can
be found, where islands were established on fishponds
and only few places can be found, where gulls and terns
can breed. The building of islands on fish ponds, firstly
contribute to the establishment of breeding-bird colonies.
The ferruginous duck can breed in a safe environment ont
he islands, among gulls and terns, as furred predators
can not damage the nests, and the nests are also protected
against the herriers and other predators too, so the breeding
success of ferruginous duck will increase and many other
protected bird species can find good breeding sites, which
contribute to the raising of their population.
Ferruginous
ducks are gathering on several fish-ponds, some of them
are not protected areas. The hunting is a disturbing factor
and we have to count with the opportunity of shooting
down of some individuals.
During
the last few dry years, several ferruginous duck habitats
were dried out or lost a lot of water. Many important
habitats started to dry out and several species lost their
habitat. Steps needed to take, to prevent the further
habitat losses.
The
Nimfea Nature Conservation Association realized the population
declining of the ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca)
and started steps to reveal the the problem and to prevent
several of them.
The
protection of ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca)
can be done effectively if the species is better known
than the present situation. National and international
actions are needed for reaching the international protection
of the species. The degradated habitats should be surveyed
and initiations are needed for the rehabilitation of the
sites. The ferruginous duck-friendly management of these
sites contribute to the effective protection of several
protected species. Initiations are needed for the approach-forming
of fish pond owners.
Target groups
The
owners and the managers of the fish-ponds and other wet-land
habitats in Hungary and Romania.
The
Hungarian Government, as the government can establish
the funds for adequate fish pond management.
The
Romanian Government, who can increase the severity of
the protection of ferruginous duck.
Hungarian
and Italian hunters, whom would be informed and supplied
by publications which help the field identification of
protected species, to reduce the shooting of protected
species.
International
and national organisations, for the lobby activities to
reach the international protection of the species.
Used methods
Approach-forming,
informing of the owners and the managers of the wet-lands
and the fish ponds. The owned wet-lands provide good habitats
for a lot of protected and strictly protected species.
The conservation and the habitat management considering
the needs of the ferruginous duck, as a flagship species,
contribute to the population strenghtening of a lot of
protected and strictly protected species.
The
habitat-choosing and breeding-biology should be well known
so researches have to be started. The migration routes
and wintering places should be studied and surveyed, by
the help of the ringing of the birds. The effective way
of the studying of the migration is the using of satellite
system.
The
mortality of young birds is very high in the Trans-Tiszanian
region (this problem does not occur in the case of the
Wester-Hungarian population), and the reasons are not
known well.
The
endangering factors would be better known by the help
of the project, that contribute to the preparation of
a practical conservation plan on the ferruginous duck.
A
monitoring system should be established for the surveying
of the present habitats and the population. The archive
data is available on the habitats but lately there are
no sytematic data-collection on them.
Rehabilitation
of former-habitats of the ferruginous duck (Aythya
nyroca), building of islands, as the gull- and tern
colonies can not be found on the fish-ponds because of
the lack of islands. Based on the existing data, ferruginous
ducks prefer the islands and bird colonies, as several
predators, like foxes can get in the island, and the gull
colony provides shelter against herriers and other predators
too.
International
cooperation is needed for reaching the international protection
of the species. Several organisations should be linked
into the lobby activities to initiate the EU Parliament
for paying attention to this species.
Financial information
1 EUR - 242 HUF
|
|
Existing funding (EUR) |
In-house contribution (EUR) |
Required
(EUR) |
Total costs (EUR) |
| Investment costs |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Promoting of adequate
managing methods on fishponds |
0 |
630 |
8230 |
8860 |
| Establishing of
monitoring system for the regular studying of wildlife
of the fishponds, investment of equipment |
0 |
25000 |
187500 |
212500 |
| Establishing hides
and high-stands for the studying of ferruginous
duck in three sample-sites |
1420 |
1040 |
22000 |
24460 |
| Rehabilitation
of wet-land sites (water-management, flooding, creation
of islands, establishing and renovation of embankments,
other soil works) |
0 |
620 |
2647050 |
2647670 |
| Editing and printing
of publication for hunters - Identification of duck
species in
Hungarian and
Italian language |
650 |
350 |
16430 |
17430 |
| Arranging costs |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Personal costs
of project leading (for one year) |
0 |
948 |
1762 |
2710 |
| Expert costs (for
one year) |
230 |
970 |
1770 |
2970 |
| Translation costs |
0 |
330 |
860 |
1190 |
| Starting nature
conservational monitoring, basic status studies
|
0 |
1240 |
0 |
1240 |
| Communication
costs (telephone, post, e-mail) |
0 |
965 |
0 |
965 |
| Travel costs (organising) |
212 |
425 |
500 |
1137 |
| Office costs,
using of office materials (Beklen Foundation) |
0 |
2550 |
0 |
2550 |
| Organising of
meetings and discussions |
0 |
270 |
465 |
735 |
| Costs
related to car and vehicle maintaining |
0 |
645 |
2915 |
3560 |
| Other,
unexpected costs |
0 |
340 |
630 |
970 |
| Total |
2512 |
36323 |
2890112 |
2928947 |
Team
Mr.
R. Benedek Sallai - managing director of Nimfea Nature
Conservation Association (nature conservational engineer)
Mr.
Tivadar Kontos - program-leader of agri-environmental
program (agri-engineer)
Mr.
Ákos Monoki - targetprogram-leader of biodiversity protection
(biology-environment protection teacher) - leader of ferruginous
duck conservation program
Mr.
Attila Sándor - Romanian Society of Ornithology - Romanian
Partner of the program
Mr.
Attila Nagy - Milvus Group - Romanian Partner of the program
Mr.
Károly Nagy - MME BirdLife Hungary Monitoring Centre
Mr.
Zsolt Nagy - MME BirdLife Hungary Monitoring Centre
Ms.
Lilla Barabás - outer expert
Mr.
Antal Széll - outer expert
Mr.
Béla Dékány - student - volunteer
Mr.
Zoltán Pabar - student - volunteer
Mr.
Ádám Kiss - student - volunteer
Partners
Romanian Society of Ornithology and Milvus Group are the Romanian partners
in the program.
Hortobágy Fish Producing Co. Partner in the program, as rehabilitation happens
in their fish ponds.
Hortobágy National Park - as the most of the rehabilitation happens in the
National Park.
MME - Monitoring Center - helps the coordination of the monitoring of wetland
sites.
Priorities
-
conservation of ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca),
stopping the declining of the population
-
surveying of traditional and new habitats, forming of
monitoring system for better knowing of Hungarian population,
up-to-date database establishing, processing of archive
data,
-
detailed studying of the habitat-choosing, feeding- and
breeding biology and endangering factors of ferruginous
duck (Aythya nyroca)
-
detailed surveying of protected and strictly protected
species, living on the fish ponds, mainly on the habitats
of the ferruginous duck
-
data collection on migrating routes, gathering- and wintering
sites of the ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca)
-
rehabilitation of degradated habitats, building of islands
on large fish-ponds for the decreasing of predatory danger,
contributing to the establishment of breeding bird colonies
-
conservation of non-protected habitats of ferruginous
duck, designation and declaring of these sites
-
prohibition of hunting on the breeding- and gathering
sites of ferruginous ducks (Aythya nyroca)
-
approach-forming, informing for:
a)
wet-land owners and managers
b)
hunting communities and their members
c)
local people
-
promoting adequate managing methods on the habitats of
the ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), firstly on
fish ponds and other wet-land habitats, lobby activities
for better agri-environmental funding system
-
international lobby activities for reaching the strictly
protection of ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca),
at European level for the complete prohibition of the
hunting of the species (reached countries: Ukrain, Croatia)
Our
conception
The "key-habitats" are known from the archive
data on ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), just
like the Pacsmag-fish ponds, Biharugra-fish ponds, Ohati-fish
ponds. Several important habitats started to degradate
in the last decades, that endangers the local breeding
populations. The revealing of the negative changeing in
the condition of several wet-land habitats is important
from the view-point of the stopping the declining.
Habitats
with less importance are also known from the archive data,
and the habitats with only a few pairs of ferruginous
ducks. The standpoint of the Nimfea Nature Conservation
Association is that those habitats which has got one or
only a few breeding pairs of ferruginous ducks, are important
too. The surveying of these habitats have to be done.
The important, but non-protected ferruginous duck habitats
have to be declared to protected areas and the adequate
managing methods should be maintained.
Those
habitats are also have to be surveyed, which were important
habitats, but in the last decades they lost their importance.
If it is possible, the rehabilitation of these sites have
to be done.
Researches
have to be started for the better knowing of the feeding-
and breeding biology of the species, the migrating routes
and the wintering sites. That is needed, because in the
wintering places the hunting cause huge losses in the
European ferruginous duck population. The mortality of
young birds is very high in the Trans-Tiszanian region
(this problem does not occur in the case of the Wester-Hungarian
population) only a few percentage of the young birds grow
up, and the reasons are not known well. The continuous
monitoring and observation of the life of the breeding
pairs and ferruginous duck families is needed for the
studying of the species. The predators and the concrete
endangering factors have to be revealed and surveyed for
the long term protection of the species.
The
ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) lost its habitat
in several sites in Hungary and in Romania too. The existing
sites, which are mainly fish ponds are suitable breeding
sites, but the mortality is very high. The establishing
of islands on the fish ponds contribute to the establishment
of breeding-bird colonies, which decrease the mortality
of nests and young birds. That strenghten the population
of the ferruginous duck and many other protected species.
The
ferruginous duck is not protected in a few European countries.
The hunting is a very important endangering factor, mainly
in the case of migrating and wintering birds. The ferruginous
duck have to enjoy strictly protection in Europe for the
conservation of the species in the long run. The ferruginous
duck is a strictly protected bird in Hungary, but a few
individuals are regularly shot down by hunters, because
of their lacking experience and knowledge. Not only Hungarian,
but Italian hunters also shoot this bird, illegally. Hunting
have to be prohibited on the breeding- and gathering sites
of the species, considering that many other protected
species are living on these habitats too.
The
importance of the problem should be transmitted to the
hunters by approach-forming. Seminars, courses should
start for the informing of the hunters and for the improving
their species recognition. Special identification book
should be edited for the hunters, to help them in the
species identification, to prevent the shooting of protected
species.
Obtained results
The fish pond protection program of the Nimfea Nature Conservation
Association is running since 1997. Since than many fish
ponds were surveyed, and good relationship was built with
several owners.
Based
on the fieldworks, a database was established for the
processing the data, collected on fishponds. Data are
collected on the flora and the fauna of the different
fish ponds, and the year-to year changeings in the habitats.
The breeding- and migrating population of the water bird
species are surveyed.
The
breeding population of the ferruginous duck is also surveyed
on many fish ponds, and the revealing of endangering factors
was started.
The
approach-forming of the hunters started, a publication
is under editing. This publication is for to develop the
species-identification knowledge of hunters. This publication
is specially for the help the identification of duck species,
which can occure during the hunting season. The publication
is planned to translate to italian language too, to inform
the italian hunters about the Hungarian Law, and the protected
species. The same publication is planned to printed in
Romania too, in Romanian language to the approach-forming
of Romanian hunters.
A
short film was edited about the species, and several other
short films were also edited to introduce to the people
the wildlife of fish ponds and non-protected wet-land
habitats. These films were broadcasted on local tvs.
International
and national relationship was started to built with foreign
and national organisations, to initiate the international
protection of the ferruginous duck.
Effected species
Plants,
associations:
Mainly
the moorland vegetations, and different reed-grass vegetations.
Amphibiants:
Triturus
vulgaris
Triturus
cristatus
Rana
esculenta
Rana
lessonae
Rana
ridibunda
Reptilians:
Pond
turtle (Emys orbicularis)
Birds:
Red-necked
grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
Little
grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Pygmy
cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus)
Bittern
(Botaurus stellaris)
Little
bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)
Night
heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Squacco
heron (Ardeola ralloides)
Great
white egret (Egretta alba)
Purple
heron (Ardea purpurea)
Mammals:
Otter
(Lutra lutra)
Indicator species
Reptilians:
Pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) +
Birds:
Red-necked
grebe (Podiceps grisegena) +
Little
grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) +
Bittern
(Botaurus stellaris) +
Little
bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) +
Great
white egret (Egretta alba) +
Purple
heron (Ardea purpurea) +
Mute
swan (Cygnus olor) -
Spotted
crake (Porzana porzana) +
Little
crake (Porzana parva) +
Black-headed
gull (Larus ridibundus) +
Common
tern (Sterna hirundo) +
Whiskered
tern (Chlidonias hybridus) +
Black
tern (Chlidonias niger) +
Importance of the project
The
present support can ensure the backround for the printing,
publishing and spreading of our publication for hunters.
This publication help the hunters to identify the protected
duck species, to prevent of shooting protected species.
It contains the Hungarian, and Romanian Laws and regulations
too. The publication will be translated to Italian language
too, for the informing of Italian hunters.
The
researches on the feeding- and breeding biology and the
endangering factors of the ferruginous duck (Aythya
nyroca) could be started by the help of this support.
Maybe we can get answer on the reason of high mortality
of young ferruginous ducks in the Trans-Tiszanian region.
The
processing of the archive data on the ferruginous duck
habitats can be started, and the surveying of the traditional
and important sites also should be started.
The
present support will contribute to the basing of a research
program on the migration route and the wintering sites
of the ferruginous duck, based on satellite technik.
The
based monitoring system would collect data on the condition
of wet-land habitats, their flora and fauna.
Habitat-rehabilitation
would be started with the creation of new breeding sites.
The rehabilitation would be done on former habitats, which
are dried out. The building of islands, reconstruction
of these sites and flooding contribute to the strenghtening
of the Hungarian and Romanian population.
Suggestson
would prepared for the rehabilitation of the damaged habitats
and initiations would happen for their reconstruction.
National
lobby activities can be started for the initiating of
the establishing of the well working, and regular agri-environmental
subsidies, becuse presently the system is not working.
We would like to urge the Hungarian Government on the
establishing of funds for the supporting and compensation
of fish pond owners, because many protected and strictly
protected species cause damages in the fish. The same
initiations would be started in Romania too.
International
lobby activities would started to initiate the international
protection and hunting prohibition of ferruginous duck
in Europe. We would like initiate it at the EU Parliament.
The main aim is the stopping of hunting of ferruginous
duck at least at the Croation wintering sites.
Túrkeve,
19. October 2004.
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