Saving Hal’s Marsh
In the heart of Europe, in the eastern Slovakian lowland, lies a unique and beautiful wetland known as Hal’s marsh. For millennia, the natural pulse of the lowland Laborec river has carried water from spring floods into this marsh. Covering an area of 23 hectares, Hal's marsh is one of the last and largest natural wetlands in this region of Slovakia.
This magical wetland is home to the globally endangered Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), the inconspicuous Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), a thriving colony of Great White Egrets (Ardea Alba), the mysterious Eurasian Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and many other bird species. Besides being an important hotspot for biodiversity, Hal’s Marsh also acts as a natural buffer against floods and droughts, protecting local communities from the adverse consequences of climate change.
Looming danger
But due to intensive agriculture in the surrounding region, the marsh has been drained and cut off from the Laborec River, causing it to dry up more frequently. Climate change is only accelerating this process. Since 2016, our Partner, the Slovak Ornithological Society/BirdLife Slovakia, has been channeling floodwaters from the river back into the marsh annually. In cooperation with local water managers, they restored a regular regime of spring flooding, recreating the conditions that existed for birds before the rivers were regulated. They have been highly successful in preventing the marsh from drying out completely since.
But despite their best efforts, real danger was never far off. Over the years, various proposals for using Hal’s Marsh emerged. There have been plans to turn the marsh into an economic fishpond or to drain it and convert it into a plantation of fast-growing trees or a solar power plant. These projects would leave no space for birds. To stop the risk of losing the wetland forever, SOS/BirdLife Slovakia decided to go the extra mile and to buy the wetland in autumn 2023.
On a quest to buy Hal’s marsh
To collect the 90,000 that were needed to bring the area under their wings, our Slovakian Partner started the fundraising campaign “Even a wetland has a heart” which became a great success! In only four months, enough finances were collected to buy the wetland from the previous owner.
Hundreds of individual supporters and foundations like Aevis Foundation, Tipsport Foundation, VSE Foundation and Zoo Augsburg contributed to the mission. Additional funds were secured through the European Regional Development Fund within the Interreg V-A Slovak Republic Hungary program. A total of 130,000 euros was collected, ensuring not only the purchase of the land but also its maintenance. This includes the annual flooding of Hal’s Marsh with water from the Laborec River and bird monitoring.
Hal’s march is saved!
The marsh offered a beautiful sight during this year’s breeding season 2024! Great White Egrets, Purple Herons, Grey Herons, and Pygmy Cormorants, in a mixed colony with Night Herons and Little Egrets thrived in the lush environment of Hal’s Marsh. But the biggest reward was the successful breeding of Great Bitterns and several observations of the rare Ferruginous Ducks. Hal’s marsh continues to bring great joy to ornithologists, nature conservationists, and birds alike.
A heartfelt thank you to all those who contributed to saving this unique ecosystem and to helping SOS continue their crucial work in this wetland. Let’s restore nature together!
Written by Zuzana Lackovičová