Successful AgriNatur workshop for local people at the Mosonmagyaróvár faculty of Szechenyi Istvan University

In addition to monitoring the biodiversity of the Natura 2000 areas of the Moson plain an Wittmann Park and examining the possibility of the cultivation of local varieties of cultivated plants (e.g.      traditional wheat varieties), the project pays special attention to informing the population, shaping attitudes and raising awareness of biodiversity and nature protection.

To achieve these goals, the project will implement a wide range of activities, from educational trails in the Castle Garden and Wittmann Park in Mosonmagyarovar to publications and various live and online events. Related to these is the workshop held on October 21 in Mosonmagyaróvár, the main message of which was that we should not passively wait for the solution of nature conservation problems from others, but we ourselves can do a lot in our own living environment.

In the first part of the event, Dr. András Vér, the Hungarian leader of the project, presented the tasks and results realized so far and planned, and then Dr. Gergely Király, a professor at the University of Sopron, presented the results of ornithological and tree species surveys. Dr. Bálint Lampert, assistant professor at the Apaczai Csere Janos Faculty of SZE, spoke about the role and possibilities of environmental education in schools in a lecture illustrated with practical examples and easy-to-implement ideas.

One of the “main attractions” was the interactive eco-pedagogical presentation and the “playhouse” for adults, led by Zoltán Fűzfa, president of the Pisztráng Kör (Trout Circle) Waldorf Nature Conservation and Hiking Association, where the participants could try the presented educational methods. After the methodological presentation, it was possible to get involved in various games about the fauna and flora of the Szigetköz, and those interested could also try the “Microtus Minibus” rolling classroom in front of the university building.

At the end of the event, we received a lot of positive feedback, which confirmed to us that if we can show the importance of biodiversity and nature protection in an interesting and practical way, the local population and teachers will be happy to participate in these programs and pass on what they have heard and seen.