BESTbelt project “Living Landscape” featured a section on the 2025 Hungarian Environmental NGOs Conference!

The aim of the BESTbelt Living Landscape section was to initiate a national consultation process for drafting the landscape transformation statement. BirdLife Hungary, WWF, Greenpeace, EcoOne and several other Hungarian environmental NGOs participated in the discussion.

BESTbelt Living Landscape session held in the National Green NGO Conference in 2025, Salgótarján, Hungary © Dr. Ákos Klein
1 Million hectares are lost. Since 1990, Hungary has been transforming 1 million hectares of land, that equals to two entire counties of Hungary. Further land-take must be stopped immediately!

Since 1990, Hungary has transformed 1 million hectares of land — an area equivalent to two entire Hungarian counties. New ways must be found immediately to stop further land take!

Therefore, environmental activists gathered for a national meeting in Salgótarján (Hungary) on 20–21 June to exchange on this and other topics. Over 200 people attended the event.

During the conference, the BESTbelt project “Living Landscape” was a key focus. The project aims to protect the mosaic-like landscapes along the Hungarian Green Belt by raising awareness and carrying out practical conservation efforts. Three members of the Living Landscape project team led an interactive two-hour session for over 25 NGO activists and partners. As well as presenting the BESTbelt initiative, its goals and its achievements to date, the consortium took a significant step forward by introducing the framework for a National Living Landscape Declaration. This declaration is designed to draw public and political attention to this critical environmental issue.

Highlights from the proposed ten-point position statement include:

  • Recognising undeveloped land as a vital environmental resource and the need to enshrine strict development limits in high-level legislation;
  • Ensuring that comprehensive, regularly updated data on land-use changes is made publicly available;
  • Reconsidering road infrastructure development, particularly the trunk road network, through thorough professional and societal debate weighing environmental, social and economic impacts.

Participants agreed that the declaration should be developed through broad professional and public consultation.

The project "Living Landscape - restoration of a landscape mosaic along the Hungarian Green Belt" is implemented by the Barn Owl Foundation in collaboration with the Őrség National Park Directorate from October 2024 to July 2026 and is financed by the EU-funded BESTbelt project.

Contact

Ákos Klein; barnowlfoundation(at)gmail.com (The Barn Owl Foundation)

Project website: https://gyongybagoly.hu/elo_taj/living-landscape/