AM: Development of Hungary’s most valuable water snail habitat has begun

(Photo: AM)

András Tállai, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, who is also the region’s Member of Parliament, recalled the rich past of Kács, which was already a role during the conquest of Hungary – according to the chronicles, through the leader Örs – and is an important part of the early history of our country. The Benedictine monks built a monastery in the settlement in the 1200s, and they also created the Kács spa, the oldest spa in Hungary, which celebrated its 500th anniversary in 1931 – they wrote. He called it a significant step forward that the former spa area could become the property of the Bükk National Park Directorate, where the country’s most valuable aquatic snail habitat was discovered. This development, which is now underway, not only serves the preservation of rare species, but also promotes the prosperity of the Kács settlement – they added. The overall goal of KEHOP Plus, entitled “Protection of the Kács habitat of the highly protected black snail and the foundation for its long-term preservation”, is to reduce the silt cover accumulated in the springs and stream beds and prevent silt washout – András Rácz highlighted. He explained that the area of ​​Kács, which is of outstanding hydrological and hydrogeological significance, is home to the unique snail fauna of the Kácsi stream, which feeds on cold and lukewarm springs. In the lukewarm water branch of the stream, the unique Kácsi brook snail lives, as well as the highly protected black snail, whose ancestors were already present in the area of ​​the present-day Carpathian Basin during the Pleistocene.

The species survived the ice ages after the warmer climate in the constantly lukewarm springs with abundant water

Outside the settlement, there are only two Austrian and one Slovenian occurrences in the world, so preserving its habitat is a priority task, as are the protected, indigenous Torna brook snail and a characteristic companion species of the black snail, the also protected river snail – the statement says. Thanks to the program that will last until December 31, 2028, the sediment-retaining structure and the sediment-retaining grid in the area will be renovated, which will help prevent previous accidents that led to silting of the riverbed. By cleaning the bottom of the canal, the silt-free state of part of the habitat will be restored.

The former Kács bath building was built above a lukewarm water spring, the Tükör-forszás

The renovation will also stabilize the wall of the tunnel running under the facility and remove the silt. The demolition of a smaller dilapidated, accident-prone building located on the property will be carried out, and the presentation of the area will be established, and the doors of the building containing the Tükör-forszás will be made lockable, and the building will be fenced off. The invasive Ostrich Feather Seaweed population will also be eliminated during the renovation, AM announced. Nature conservation developments can only be successfully implemented with the consent of the locals, therefore the involvement of local communities is essential – concluded András Rácz in his speech, according to the statement.

MTI