The Hubeneho Gymnasium in Bratislava, Slovakia and the Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium in Vaduz, Liechtenstein cooperate to teach students about protecting the biodiversity of the Danube lowlands and Liechtenstein, focusing especially on the bird fauna. Students are also taught about ecological farming and sustainable natural sources of energy.
The environmental protection of birds and their habitats poses a particular challenge. As birds migrate, they cover considerable distances. It is therefore necessary to protect both the regions of their reproduction and the conditions for resting and gathering food along the migratory flight paths. The focus area of the project is the Danube lowlands, especially the Poitavie area, where human interference has caused degradation of important biotopes. Rare animal species bound to bog, meadow and steppe environments have already declined or become extinct.
Through a 2-week study camp in Slovakia, carried out this year, and a 2-week study camp in Liechtenstein planned for next year, students observe migratory patterns and learn how the individual links of the ecosystem interact and depend on one another. Students have installed more than 80 nest bases and nest boxes for songbirds and owls, concentrating primarily on alluvial meadows ecosystems. These meadows have undergone several changes due to the decline in traditional farming techniques. The absence of mowing and grassing have led to the meadows being overgrown, resulting in the rise of floodplain forests and thus threatening the existence of these meadows' bird habitats. Important activities therefore include raking hay and biomass as well as monitoring nest boxes and bird migration patterns.
The project is carried out in close cooperation with experts from 2 environmental non-governmental organisations (NGO), the Slovak Ornithological Society/BirdLife Slovakia and the Botanisch-Zoologische Gesellschaft (BZG) in Liechtenstein. BirdLife Slovakia is part of the BirdLife International network, which covers more than 100 ornithological societies worldwide and coordinates environmental protection initiatives.
Picture credit: Ján Gúgh/BirdLife Slovakia.