The only habitat in Hungary for a highly protected animal is being revived

A development project worth approximately 610 million forints in European Union funding will significantly improve the natural habitat of the Kácsi stream snail, which is found exclusively in Kács , announced András Rácz, State Secretary for Nature Conservation at the Ministry of Agriculture (AM) on Friday at the project launch event held in the village, according to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The baths in Kács were established by Benedictine monks centuries ago.

András Tállai, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, who is also a Member of Parliament for the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén region, recalled Kács' rich past, which, according to the chronicles, played a role as early as the time of the Hungarian conquest through the leadership of Örs, and is an important part of our country's early history. In the 1200s, Benedictine monks built a monastery in the settlement and established the Kács baths, Hungary's oldest baths, which celebrated their 500th anniversary in 1931, they wrote.

He described it as a significant step forward that the former spa area could be transferred to the ownership of the Bükki National Park Directorate, where the country's most valuable water snail habitat was discovered. This development, which is now getting underway, will not only serve to preserve rare species, but will also promote the revitalisation of the village of Kács.

- they added.

„The comprehensive objective of the KEHOP Plus project entitled ”Protection of the habitat of the highly protected black pond snail and establishment of the basis for its long-term conservation' is to protect the resources and the sediment accumulated in the stream bed, to prevent the spread of invasive species, to establish a long-term conservation plan, to create a habitat for the black pond snail, and to establish a and establishing the basis for its long-term conservation" is to reduce the amount of silt accumulated in the springs and stream beds and to prevent siltation, emphasised András Rácz.

Snails survived the ice ages in lukewarm springs

He explained that the Kács area, which is of outstanding importance from a hydrological and hydrogeological point of view, is home to the unique snail fauna of the Kácsi stream, which is fed by cold and lukewarm springs. In addition to the unique Kácsi stream snail, the warm-water branch of the stream is home to the highly protected black pond snail, whose ancestors were already present in the Carpathian Basin during the Pleistocene. The species survived the ice ages that followed the warmer climate of today in the abundant, constantly lukewarm springs. Outside the settlement, there are only two Austrian and one Slovenian occurrences in the world, so preserving its habitat is a priority, as is the protected, native Tornai stream snail and the black pond snail, a characteristic accompanying species, which is also protected, according to the announcement.

Thanks to the programme, which will run until 31 December 2028, the sediment trap structure and sediment trap grid in the area will also be renovated, which will help prevent previous emergency situations leading to silting of the riverbed. Cleaning the bottom of the canal will also restore the silt-free condition of part of the habitat.