Mihály Tóth and Žiga Marenk know only too well how important it is to have the locals on their side. Mihály from Őrség National Park is the responsible ranger in the first rewilding project for bison in Hungary. He is helping to attract tourists through bison safaris and thus new sources of income in the local communities. Whereas Žiga works closely with locals around Triglav National Park, Slovenia, to inform them about permitted construction. In return, he receives not only trust, but also information about striking activities in his ranger area.
How acceptance of the bison reintroduction is helping to restore biodiversity, and how local support for ranger work is the best way to achieve effective conservation: read two more examples of how important ranger work is in building bridges between local communities and nature conservation.
How I became a ranger and got involved in the project
Mihály
As a small child, I often went to the field with my grandfather, who was a shepherd, to work with animals, especially sheep and cows. I loved livestock and wildlife. After studying biology, I wanted to become a ranger. But there are only 200 to 250 ranger positions in Hungary, so you have to wait a long time. So I continued as a PhD student. After I finished, I finally saw an advert for a ranger position. I gave it a go – and became a ranger in Őrség National Park almost eleven years ago. It’s my dream job! Our bison project started in 2017 and I got involved in 2019 when 90 hectares in my ranger district were designated as rewilding area.
Žiga
I completed a Master’s degree in Forest Ecosystems at the biotechnical faculty in Ljubljana. As soon as I finished, I got a job as a ranger in Triglav National Park. To become a ranger in Slovakia, you need certificates like a university degree. There are only 20 ranger positions here in the national park and you usually work in the job until you retire, so vacancies are really rare. In addition to leading the ranger team in the Pokljuka district, my most important task is surveillance because of my education. We are only three rangers in my district, and the other two rangers mainly work as hunters for wildlife management. Therefore, I am very involved in the prosecution of offences against the national park rules, including more paper work.
What the Ranger project is about
Mihály
We keep bison and, since last year, some wild horses for research purposes and to save the bison as a species in Hungary’s first rewilding project. The main research question is how large herbivores affect the landscape through grazing. It is a grassland area with some trees, which has been changing from year to year since the reintroduction of the bison.
After the reintroduction of bison we have observed that more birds are nesting in the area and that there are dung beetles and plant species that were not there before.
For example, we have observed that more birds are nesting in the area and that there are dung beetles and plant species that were not there before. I coordinate the research and accompany researchers or veterinarians, for example, when we put a GPS collar on an animal or the vet has to check on a sick bison. As these animals are dangerous, we have to be very quick with our actions before the anaesthetic wears off. On the other hand, it’s very rewarding when they sometimes let me approach within five metres – while on other days the bull shows me to leave. I try to communicate with them, which is very difficult with bison. So it’s all the more wonderful when I succeed.
Žiga
Surveillance includes the imposition of penalties for incorrect parking, e.g. fires, camping and other offences. However, the main monitoring is focussed on building activity in the national park. Many people want to build agricultural buildings such as barns or sheds. But they need a permit from the national park for this. So alongside my other duties as a ranger, such as leading groups of children and other visitors to explore nature or observe wildlife, monitoring wildlife and hunting to manage wildlife, I monitor this on an ongoing basis. In summer, we also monitor the mountains in particular, because there are a lot of people out and about there, so the number of offences is correspondingly high.
To stay in contact with the locals, we are present in the communities. They tell us about activities they have observed in the national park or ask for help with questions they have, usually about building in the park area. I tell them about the regulations and help them to apply for planning permission. In return, they help us by calling if they notice any striking activity in our ranger area. So it’s a collaboration that works so well because we respond to the locals’ needs and act with a sense of proportion. In other words: We are conservation wardens. But we don’t react to every little offence with the greatest possible severity.
Challenges, outcomes and goals
Mihály
The presence of the 20 bison means that the landscape in this area remains an open mixture of grassland and forest with many bushes. The bushes are very good for small nesting birds, while the grassland – untouched by human hand – provides space for many ground nesting birds.
We have also noticed that there is an increasing variety of beetles and other insects that benefit much more from bison dung than from cow dung, which contains pharmaceutical residues. This reintroduction project in Hungary is very new and we are dealing with dangerous animals, which is the reason why the their area is fenced off. It was a challenge to convince the locals of the project. At first they said we were idiots (laughs) because we don’t mow the grass and keep cows in this good grassland. But after five years, they start to love the bison because they are beautiful animals and attract a lot of tourists. This in turn generates income for the local restaurants and guesthouses. One attraction is the annual safari days, during which I guide tourists through the area. Most of them are highly fascinated by the abundance of birds and the many other species. I think its area is the very best area for bird nesting. It has no man-effect, nobody is cutting trees, using chemicals etc. So it’s a great refuge also for a range of other animals such as wild deer, foxes and wild cats.
Žiga
We are currently having a lot of problems with the quiet zones that we have set up for capercaillies as an endangered species. Sometimes the associated signs encourage people to look for capercaillies. We also have quiet zones for chamois.
It is a great success for us that we have the trust of the locals. They call us about everything, sometimes even about a would-be bear in the garden that turns out to be a roaring deer. But overall, they appreciate and support our work.
In winter, when many people go skiing in the backcountry, there is a lot of surveillance work to this end. We show them where they can and cannot go. We also had a project to reintroduce lynx, which were almost extinct. Because there was a reintroduction of lynx more than 30 years ago, but they were too closely related. So we had an inbreeding problem. But now, and this is our greatest success, we have a healthy lynx population again. Our main goal is to connect them with the northern population, despite the mountains in between. And of course it is a great success for us that we have the trust of the locals. They call us about everything, sometimes even about funny things like a would-be bear in the garden that turns out to be a roaring deer. But overall, they appreciate and support us and our work for nature.
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