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Aims: The restoration of unused urban‐industrial areas has great conservation potential as it can sometimes create a win‐win situation in terms of nature conservation and economic benefits. Financial data of restoration projects are rarely published. To close this gap, we report the cost–benefit analysis of different landscaping methods used in the greening of the outskirts of a factory industrial area. Location: The study area is located in a factory area in Nyíregyháza, Nyírség, Hungary. Methods: In this study, we compare the costs of the implementation and maintenance of three different types of grasslands (intensively and extensively managed park lawns and semi‐natural grassland, called eco area) and the ecological benefits in terms of vegetation and potential for pollinators. Results: The implementation and maintenance costs of the extensively managed park lawn were more than ten‐fold higher than that of the eco area, despite the higher price of native plant material. The construction of the extensive park lawn is the cheapest, but the eco area pays off in ca. 1.5 years compared to it, taking into account the lower maintenance costs. Seven years after implementation, the eco area is the most species‐rich, hosting the highest number of natural constituent species, but with similar vegetation cover as in the intensively managed park lawn without costly maintenance. The cover and species richness of legumes and forbs are also higher in the eco area, ensuring a food source for pollinators. Conclusions: Our results support that introducing species‐rich and diverse grasslands with native, habitat specialist species as an alternative to traditional landscaping in urban‐industrial areas can be economically and ecologically rewarding. The higher costs of planning, plant material, and implementation pay off in a short time due to low maintenance costs and can lead to a win‐win situation for nature as well as for the local economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Club of Young Naturalists" (FTK) has been investigating the peat-bog near Szőce, Western Hungary for 29 years; functioning as the Youth Division of the Hungarian Biological Society, summer camps have been organized near this habitat since 1988. Fundamental part of our research activities is the exploration of insect fauna. Significant results have been achieved during the past three decades, which are presented in this work. 1222 insect species were hitherto found, 72 of them are protected and further 2 (Cordulegaster heros THEISCHINGER and Carabus nodulosus CREUTZER) are strictly protected according to Hungarian laws, these two species are listed in Annex IV of EU Habitats Directive as well. Further six species of the area: Ophiogomphus cecilia, Parnassius mnemosyne, Lycaena dispar, Maculinea teleius, Maculinea nausithous and Euphydryas maturna are also listed in Annex IV. More than half of the insect checklist is represented by Lepidoptera, nearly one quarter by Coleoptera, and 8% belongs to Hemiptera. One-third of the species are silvicolous, but nearly one-seventh require open habitats. Nearly 20% of the species are hygrophilous, 6% lives in, on or near water at their particular stage, while less than 4% of the species are xerophilous. We found 649 species which were not published from the area yet, including the two strictly protected taxa. List of these new species as well as that of protected taxa are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasion of alien species is one of the main drivers of land degradation threatening both natural and managed ecosystems. Ecological restoration is crucial in controlling invasion to improve biotic resistance and avoid further land degradation. We investigated the possibility of controlling the establishment of invasive alien species (IAS) by native seed addition. We tested if trait similarity or increased propagule pressure of native species results in the suppression of IAS at the early stage of development. We set up a sowing experiment with three widespread IAS in Hungary of different life forms and functional groups (Asclepias syriaca, Conyza canadensis, Tragus racemosus) and four Pannonic sand grassland species (Festuca vaginata, Galium verum, Gypsophila paniculata, Saponaria officinalis). We found no significant differences in germination ability and seedling emergence between native species and IAS, despite the differences in thousand‐seed weight. Using univariate general linear models, we found that the seedling establishment of IAS can be reduced by adding native species at high densities but also depending on the species identity. Instead of species of similar traits, the seeding of a competitor perennial grass of sand grasslands (F. vaginata) reduced the seedling emergence of all studied IAS the most. Our results confirm that IAS can be effectively controlled by native seed addition in the early establishment stage, especially applying higher densities and competitive species. We conclude that invasion‐resistant restoration can be achieved by the combination of several factors, including high‐density sowing of native species that match IAS in the early stage of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]