While forests are increasingly celebrated for their importance, grasslands deserve equal attention. Far from being mere empty expanses, natural grasslands are indispensable ecosystems. Their remarkable biodiversity, water retention capacity and soil protection functions make them critical allies in the fight against climate change.

The first volume of the Conserving the Wildlife of the Pannonian Grasslands book series has been published as part of the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project, coordinated by Herman Ottó Institute Nonprofit Ltd.. Focusing on vertebrate species, the publication not only provides a comprehensive overview of grassland wildlife, but also serves as a practical guide for land managers and farmers.

One significant side effect of globalization—particularly international trade and tourism—is the intensifying biological invasion, during which certain organisms arriving from distant lands not only establish themselves in our country but, by proliferating in massive numbers, transform our natural environment. This process has a negative impact not only on our natural heritage but often on agricultural management as well.

Staff members of the Herman Ottó Institute Nonprofit Ltd., Renáta Bocz (integrated project manager of Grassland-HU LIFE IP) and Olivér Váczi (project leader of CitellusLIFE), discussed this year’s "Mammal of the Year" in an episode of the Greendex podcast. The focus was on a species that is now strictly protected and serves as an essential ecological keystone species for the survival of entire ecosystems.

An outstanding photograph is conceived in the mind long before it is captured in the field. This philosophy is closely associated with Dr Zsolt Kalotás, wildlife photographer, founding member and first president of the Hungarian Nature Photographers’ Association (naturArt). In addition to serving as a juror for the Secrets of Grasslands photography competition, he is the recipient of numerous awards and honours. More than 8,500 of his nature photographs have been published in books, conservation magazines, specialist journals and environmental publications. We asked him about the competition, in which the fifth round challenges entrants to present the beauty and diversity of grasslands from a broader perspective.

The fifth round of Secrets of the Grasslands, a nature photography competition, aims to draw attention to the beauty and diversity of grassland ecosystems. In this year’s edition, one of the challenges set for entrants is landscape photography.