Background The wetlands of the Central Bereg Plain, located in the least developed region of Hungary, next to the border with Ukraine, harbour a complex mosaic of habitats. These include 7 different Annex I habitat types: active raised bogs, alkaline fens, transition mires, lowland hay meadows and several forest habitats... The raised bogs are of special importance since they have evolved under very specific microclimatic conditions in the Hungarian Great Plain, and represent the southernmost relict of this type of ecosystem in Central Europe. The LIFE project area has suffered long-term degradation by human activities, which resulted in a dramatic loss of its natural values over the last decades. The main causes were desiccation by agricultural drainage during the socialist era, increasing eutrophication from agricultural chemicals, erosion from surrounding arable areas and a lack of renewal of the wood stock in cultivated forests. Objectives Emergency actions had been ongoing since the 1980s, but a concerted effort was needed to restore priority habitats to a favourable condition. During the LIFE-Nature project, over 430 ha of wetlands are to be restored by closing ditches and eliminating drainage channels. Ecologically valuable grassland and forest habitats in the surrounding areas will also be restored. This should not only provide a buffer zone for the wetlands (within the 1,500 ha project area) but also valuable habitats for the many Annex I birds that are present here. By the end of the project, the restored hydrology of the area should provide the ideal microclimatic conditions to help these wetlands recover in the harsh and dry Pannonic climate. At the same time, scientific monitoring is to lay the basis for the long-term maintenance of the rehabilitated areas. Last but not least, the local population will be informed about the natural values of the Natura 2000 habitats, and farmers and foresters are to be trained to manage their land in a wetland-friendly way.