In the Great Pains of Hungary the Tisza river flowed on its zigzag way with hundreds of curves for thousands of years. In the 19th century the river was regulated to prevent floods. Many lakes remained from the late river bed’s curves, where the birdlife flourished. Most of those lakes have dried up in the last decades. Meanwhile in the 21th century the agricultural methods and the climate crisis threatening the groundwater as well, even though the river is near the fields are arid.     

Near the village of Ópusztaszer local conservationists, farmers, ornithologists, water management experts, scientists founded a movement to bring back the water into their landscape. They called themself Vízválasztók (Double meaning: Water-choosers or Watershed) They have a scientifically grounded plan on how to use the water in a sustainable way supported by academics from the University of Szeged. 

The first step on their long route is to fill up a dried lake in Baks, next to the lake system of the Kiskunsági National Park. This ecosystem has a unique birdlife which has been photographed by a local celebrity Bence Máté, the most awarded WildLife photographer.   This wetland protection project set a good example for the neighboring local communities so they can get private funds to restore nature. 

In the area which is becoming half-desert industrial agriculture becomes less and less profitable as the land becomes futile. The local communities are losing people because many of them give up their lifestíle close to nature. To prevent the migration of young locals, the community sees the rewilding of some of their land as a solution. The traditional grassland ecosystem preserves water in the ground , so the other fields can be fruitful. As the rewilding project transforms the tillage to a grassland with local wildflowers, the local young people bring back the colors to the village.  

The types of the fruit trees are declining, some of the traditional types are so rare and almost extinct; the agro-biodiversity survives through gene banks, the zoo’s of the plants. Many of the plantation owners are giving up their work in the area of Ópusztaszer as well. A family wants to preserve local types and local culture in their plum plantation, which otherwise should be chopped-down. The Meseerdő (Fairy-Tale-Forest) project is focusing on showing the diversity of fruit trees, while an experienced story-teller tells ancient folktales to younger and older visitors. The area is next to the well visited center of Kiskunsági National Park.

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