The government spends significant amounts of money on managing, maintaining and reconstructing natural habitats in protected environments, areas belonging to Hungary’s Natura 2000 network, an official of the ministry of agriculture said on Friday, marking the European Natura 2000 Day.
The deputy state secretary in charge of nature protection, Bertalan Balczó, said that some 38 billion forints (EUR 108.7m) was spent between 2014 and 2020 on 88 individual projects by national park directorates and their partners. Thanks to these developments, the condition of the natural environment has improved on areas totalling more than 100 hectares, the equivalent of two Budapests, he said. Planning and preparations for the period up to 2027 are currently under way, and developments to protect and improve habitats will continue on a similar scale, he added. Commenting on the European Union’s LIFE programme, Balczó said the financing allocation for nature protection projects was expected to double between 2021 and 2027. Hungary has participated in the LIFE programme since 2001, receiving support for a number of projects to preserve and protect habitats and species. The first large-scale Hungarian LIFE project was launched in 2019, targeting the restoration of Pannonia grasslands, the deputy state secretary added.
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