How can the local community and economy benefit from nature restoration?

As part of the BESTbelt project 'Making Lake Fertő more climate resilient', ten public events in small Hungarian settlements on the shores of Lake Neusiedl were organised and publications on the lake's hydrological history and the relationship between landscape use presented. The feedback confirmed that ecological restoration of the Fertő landscape and increasing its resilience to climate change are key issues for the community.

The project 'Making Lake Fertő more climate resilient' organised workshops that brought together sectors which traditionally rarely work closely together, allowing different professional perspectives to clash and integrate. Participants included representatives from the Fertő-Hanság National Park Directorate and other nature conservation authorities, regional water bodies, and the tourism, local development and national development sectors. This diversity enabled open dialogue between actors who had not necessarily coordinated their activities before.

While representatives of nature conservation authorities contributed scientific and authoritative insights to the discourse, actors from the tourism and local and national development sectors approached the future of the Fertő region and the lake from the perspective of economic sustainability and increasing the region's attractiveness. Additionally, the specific needs and experiences of land users and environmental NGOs were also reflected in the discussions.

The proposals, which covered the Fertő, Hanság and Seewinkel areas, focused on increasing the landscape's resilience against changing environmental and climatic conditions. The suggestions collected during the brainstorming sessions formed the basis of a comprehensive landscape vision and strategic restoration document for the future of Lake Fertő. This diverse professional input will be directly incorporated into the final BESTbelt project document, which sets out a shared, cross-sectoral vision for the large-scale restoration of the Fertő landscape.

 

All presented activities are part of the EU-funded BESTbelt project ‘Making Lake Fertő more climate resilient”, the Friends of Fertő lake Association’ which is implemented by the Friends of Fertő lake Association from January 2025 to April 2026.

For more information, please contact Andrea Kondor; kondor.andrea(at)fertotobaratai.eu or info(at)fertotobaratai.eu 

Project website: fertotobaratai.eu/index.php/category/bestbelt/