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Theavailability of seeds of native species in many countries for grassland restoration is limited; therefore, ex situ seed banks can gain importance as a source of germplasm in the future. We tested the usability of seed accessions of the Pannon Seed Bank for reintroduction with the aim to restore sandy grassland in Hungary. Seeds of 10 native sandy grassland species were seeded in the year of collection and after one or two years of storage. The establishment was estimated by counting seedlings along seeded transects for two vegetation seasons. This study produced the first numerical estimate we know about of native sand grassland species emergence in the field. A low establishment of the tested species was found, ranging from 0.002 to 8%. Within this range, Dianthus serotinus had the highest establishment, while Festuca vaginata, which was sown as matrix species, performed only medium establishment. The short‐term storage (1 or 2 years) of seeds had no significant effect, except for F. vaginata, where seed storage had a positive effect on reintroduction success. The year of seeding had the highest influence on recruitment. Four species were found to emerge over two years instead of only the first year. Based on our results, the weak seed yield of certain years and the low supply of native seeds in the market can be mitigated by using stored seeds. It is recommended to use multi‐year, scheduled seeding to reduce the negative impacts of particularly dry years and to increase the restoration success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive species are among the main threats to grassland biodiversity, and nature conservation management seeks the best methods to eliminate them and to restore natural habitats. We studied the long‐term effect of mowing on the restoration of Pannonian sand grassland after elimination of invasive black locust (Robinia pseudo‐acacia) plantation in Hungary, Europe. Stands of R. pseudo‐acacia at three sites were felled and stumps herbicide‐treated in the winter of 1994–1995. Mowing with hay removal treatment was applied twice a year in 1995–2001 to assist grassland recovery. A block of 12 adjacent plots of 10 m by 10 m was assigned for the experiment at each site, with six control (unmowed) and six treatment (mowed) plots randomly selected. Vegetation was sampled in June and August yearly in 1995–1999 in all sites, plus in seminatural reference grasslands then re‐sampled six times until 2017 in two sites. Herbicide application with repeated mowing successfully eliminated R. pseudo‐acacia. In the unmowed plots, dense woody cover developed at all sites. Vegetation of mowed plots approached the reference grasslands in sites with better propagule availability of target species according to trajectory analyses. In these sites, higher cover of target species was found in mowed compared to unmowed plots, though still significantly lower than in the reference. Mowed plots were more prone to secondary invasion than the unmowed. The long‐term monitoring revealed that initial mowing assisted the restoration of Pannonian sand grassland, but further management is needed to control secondary invasion and increase target species cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scaling-up ecological restoration demands the involvement of private sector actors. Experience regarding science-based habitat restoration programs in the sector should be made available to support further joint projects. In our case, hierarchical restoration prioritization was applied to select best target for habitat reconstruction at a Hungarian industrial area. Multiple potential natural vegetation model, a novel approach, supported restoration prioritization satisfying both ecological (sustainability and nature conservation value) and other needs (feasibility, rapid green surface, amenity, and education value). The target that met all priorities was the open steppe forest that has a mosaic arrangement with open and closed sand steppes. The potential area of this xero-thermophile oak wood is expected to expand in Hungary with climate change, therefore the selected target has a likelihood of long-term sustainability, if established. A matrix of sand steppes was created first at the factory area in 2014-2015, and tree and shrub saplings were planted in this matrix. The seeding induced rapid changes in vegetation composition: the second year samples became close to reference sand steppes in the principal component analysis ordination space. Tree and shrub survival was species dependent, reaching a maximum of 52 and 73% for tree and shrub species, respectively. One tree and 2 shrub species did not survive at all. Altogether 53 of 107 target species have established. So far, restored vegetation development confirmed the suitability of the applied hierarchical prioritization framework at factory scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]