Sustainability and social responsibility are of paramount importance in the daily life of our company. That is why we embarked on another unique nature conservation project in 2021: we have created special floating islands for protected water birds on our Ócsa gravel pit lake.
In cooperation with the local national park, Anita Boldog, founder of AB Concrete Design, and biologist and planting expert Tamás Koltai, Managing Director of Gourmet Garden Kft., we have established floating islands in the area of the Ócsa Gravel Pit in order to provide undisturbed and sheltered nesting opportunities for protected water birds living in the vicinity of the mine.
Within the framework of the project, a total of three floating islands were installed on the pit lake, each of which was divided into 3 smaller parts and attached to the bottom of the lake. These floating islands were fixed farther apart in order to assist in the territorial behaviour of the different species of birds.
Strips of vegetation placed in the middle of the islands separate the shelters. The special structure allows water to flow in, so the roots of the plants are constantly under water, mimicking their natural medium, and they are protected from the birds by a metal net above. The surfaces allocated for the birds were filled with gravel excavated locally, and some shading was also installed in places. And for chicks that are not yet able to fly, slightly sloped routes lead into the water from the gravelly part of the islands.
