Question European landscapes have long been influenced by intensifying use by humans. Although habitat restoration can reverse this process, it is often limited in scope by socioeconomic constraints. Here we present a grassland restoration project that is exceptional in spatial scale in Europe. Location A total area of 760 ha of arable land was restored in the Egyek‐Pusztakócs unit (50 km2) of Hortobágy National Park, east Hungary, between 2005 and 2008. Methods Restoration targeted alkali steppes and loess grasslands by sowing seeds of either two (alkali) or three (loess) foundation grass species. In 2009, we surveyed the vegetation in restored and target grasslands and quantified the factors influencing restoration success in a space‐for‐time substitution design. Results We recorded 100 species of flowering plants, of which 37 species were non‐weed, ‘target’ species. Annual weeds dominated 1‐yr‐old fields but had decreased dramatically by the third year due to a developing perennial grass cover. Former alfalfa fields had proportionally fewer weeds than former cereal and sunflower fields. The diversity of common species and the cover of target species increased from 1‐ to 4‐yr‐old restored fields. Alkali‐restored fields had more heterogeneous vegetation and more species than loess‐restored fields. Distance to the target vegetation did not directly affect vegetation variables. There was significant spatial variability in vegetation development, possibly suggesting several local pathways of succession. Conclusions Grassland restoration was generally successful in accelerating secondary succession towards alkali steppes and loess grasslands. However, further management is necessary to counter the homogenizing effects of litter accumulation, to reduce perennial weeds and to enhance the colonization of target species. Our project provides useful practical insights into grassland restoration and in applying restoration at a number of sites within a larger area to conserve biodiversity at the landscape scale.

(for four years) and late-summer burning (one or three years before the study) on both songbirds 29 and non-passerines in a previously homogeneous reedbed. We surveyed birds by a combination 30 of line transects and point counts in a quasi-experimental design consisting of six treatment 31 levels. Management led to a higher diversity of marsh habitats and increased bird diversity. The 32 species richness and abundance of non-passerines (ducks and geese, wading birds, gulls and 33 terns, rails, coots and grebes) was higher in recently burned than in unburned or old-burned 34 patches. The species richness of farmland songbirds was higher in grazed patches than in non-35 grazed patches, and reed songbirds had higher richness and abundance in unburned, old-burned 36 or grazed patches than in recently burned patches. Total Shannon diversity and evenness of birds