Optimization of mowing in marsh and fen meadows

Order for research services for the optimization of mowing in marsh and fen meadows within the framework of the GRACE short project, with identification number ATHU-0100135, implemented in the INTERREG VI-A Austria-Hungary Program, according to the task description and draft contract forming part of the Procurement Documents. Description of the research task: 1. Objective This study aims to determine the optimal mowing method to ensure the preservation of the exceptionally high biodiversity of fen and marsh meadows, with particular attention to valuable protected species from a nature conservation perspective. 2. Hypothesis - Due to their high perimeter/area ratio, refuge strips are more accessible to arthropods than leaving patches, thus we expect higher abundance and species richness in refuge strips than in leaving patches, an effect particularly strong for arthropods with weaker dispersal capabilities. - Narrow strips (1-2 meters wide) can function as ecological traps for herbivores due to the increased density and predation pressure of invertebrate and vertebrate predators using the strips. Flying arthropods use narrow strips less, under the low quantity of available floral resources, and the probability of movement between strips is high. - Refuge strips and leaving patches likely provide suitable overwintering habitats and appropriate habitats for invertebrates active in winter. 3. Expected results Research report in English upon completion of the study. The scientific literature on mowing protected grasslands does not answer many questions, so the following questions need to be answered within the scope of this research: - Starting from 10-20% un-mown area within a plot, which is more advantageous? Is it better to leave larger contiguous refuge areas during mowing, or is it more advantageous to leave multiple smaller leaving patches? The question needs to be answered according to the studied taxon groups. - Is there a significant difference in the effects of strips and patches for individual taxa? (Machine work is significantly easier to direct and physically carry out in the area if strips are left un-mown.) - If strips are left, what is the minimum width of the strips that still fulfills the function of an ecological refuge area for individual taxa? - What is the maximum distance that can be left between strips to ensure movement between them? - For individual species/species groups, how long is it optimal to leave the un-mown areas within a given year? What is the additional benefit if the areas remain un-mown beyond a year? How long is it optimal to leave the un-mown areas beyond a year? Except in cases justified by the subject of the contract or determined by law, the technical description may not refer to an item of a specific make or origin, or to a specific procedure that characterizes the products of a particular economic operator or the services provided by them, or to a trademark, patent, activity, person, type, or specific origin or manufacturing process, if it would lead to the preference or exclusion of certain economic operators or products. Such reference may only be permitted in exceptional cases if it is not possible to describe the subject of the contract with sufficient precision and clarity in accordance with Section 46 (2) of Government Decree 321/2015 (X.30). The phrase "or equivalent" must be included alongside such a designation. Further details are provided in the task description (topic page) which forms part of the Procurement Documents!