Background Salt marshes and steppes along the Danube in southern Slovakia lie on the northernmost border of the complex of Central European saline soils. In Slovakia, saline soils occupy the largest area on the Danube Lowland, namely at the Žitný ostrov area and around the towns of Komárno, Nové Zámky and Štúrovo, with northernmost sites situated near the town of Nitra. Relatively large areas of saline vegetation have occurred in Slovakia in the past. The saline vegetation cover was markedly reduced by massive land reclamation during the last three decades of 20th century. Saline plant community coverage in the Danube Lowland fell from 8 300 ha in 1961 to just 500 ha in 2004, whilst habitats of initial salt marsh communities have been almost destroyed. Pannonian sand steppes on the Slovak Danube plain and in the east Slovak lowlands are also recently fragmented and very rare. The salt marshes and sand dunes host five priority habitats of the EU Habitats Directive. Due to their limited geographical distribution, they belong to the most threatened European communities. This is confirmed by data from the latest ‘Red List’ of higher plants of Slovakia”, where 23 of obligate halophyts are considered as ‘critically endangered’ species and three species are regarded as probably extinct. Objectives The project plans to contribute to the conservation of priority habitats and strengthening of the Natura 2000 network in the project area, through the active protection of endemic Pannonic halophytic and psammophytic habitats of Community importance. The project actions will be implemented in 15 Natura 2000 sites located within the Danubian Plain of Slovakia. Specifically, the project aims to apply restoration management, and to improve and maintain the conservation status of the targeted habitats. The general public also will be informed about the importance of these unique habitats. It is hoped that improved knowledge and information about the habitats should help to improve their chances of survival in the long run. Expected results: An improvement of the conservation status of targeted habitats on 15 sites; Restoration management on an area of 379 ha of salt marshes and 15.5 ha of sand dunes; An optimised water regime in 10 project sites through the creation of 50 small-scale depressions and clay barriers along a total length of 750 m; Eradication of invasive alien tree species (mainly R. pseudoacacia and A. altissima) from an area of 60 ha; The establishment of conditions for long-term traditional pasture management, including the purchase of animals (300 sheep, 100 goats) and building of shelters, fences and water resources; Implementation of traditional land-use practices (grazing) on an area of at least 350 ha; Yearly monitoring of project plots and hydrological conditions to be carried out and two maps of the vegetation and ecological characteristics of the sites to be drafted in the course of the project (in 2012 and 2016); and Raising of public awareness concerning the restoration and conservation of pannonic non-forest habitats (e.g. through meetings, conferences, field visits, media appearances). Dissemination activities will address an estimated 4 000 people.