Profile
Halassy, Melinda, PhD
Head of the Restoration Ecology Group
senior research fellow
Contact:
halassy.melinda@ecolres.hu
+36 28 360-122, 360-147 / 123
Restoration Ecology Group Hungary
Restoration Ecology Group Blue Sky
restoration ecology, dry grasslands, seed bank, plant traits, invasive plant species
Melinda Halassy, PhD is a senior research fellow at the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, leading the Restoration Ecology Group. She has been engaged in the ecological restoration of grassland ecosystems since 1995, working extensively understanding the recovery and community assembly of Pannonian sand grasslands, including seed dispersal limitation, plant traits and the role of invasive species in restoration. She has participated in several restoration projects, mostly at the Kiskun LTER site network in the Kiskunság region, applying and evaluating a range of restoration techniques. Her work focuses on the effects of restoration interventions and landscape context on restoration outcomes, using long-term experimental and monitoring datasets to understand the mechanisms that support resilient native plant communities and limit biological invasions. She currently studies seed-based restoration methods to enhance the invasion resistance of restored grasslands.
She is a founding member of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Europe chapter, where she served as its first secretary and continues to contribute as a board member. In this capacity, she aims to provide scientific insight that can inform and guide discussions surrounding the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.
Selected publications
Vörös Márton; Bede‐Fazekas Ákos; Crecco Lorenzo; Deák Balázs; Gyalus Adrienn; Schmotzer András; Valkó Orsolya; Halassy Melinda; Somodi Imelda. Potential vegetation estimations help to assess feasibility and expected effort needed in grassland restoration by shrub removal RESTORATION ECOLOGY, Paper: e70037 (2025)
2025
Gyalus, A., Bertalan, L., Csonka, A. C., Halassy, M., Kertész, M., Kröel-Dulay, G., ... & Csecserits, A. Nearby woody patches and microtopography reduce grass dieback during extreme drought. Global Ecology and Conservation, 60, e03596.
2025
Szitár Katalin; Bánhidai András; Csecserits Anikó; Csőszi Mónika; Halassy Melinda; Kertész Miklós; Kollányi László; Schneller. Krisztián; Teleki Mónika; Vaszócsik Vilja; Török Katalin The zone cube model – A tool to operationalise green infrastructure prioritisation LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING, 243. Paper: 104976 , 11 p. (2024)
2024
Paolinelli Reis, Bruna; Branquinho, Cristina; Török, Katalin; Řehounková, Klára; Nunes, Alice; Halassy, Melinda. The added value of the long-term ecological research network to upscale restoration in Europe JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
2024
Halassy Melinda; Batary Peter; Csecserits Aniko; Torok Katalin; Valko Orsolya. Meta-analysis identifies native priority as a mechanism that supports the restoration of invasion-resistant plant communities COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, 6 : 1 Paper: 1100 , 12 p. (2023)
2023
Valkó Orsolya; Fekete Réka; Molnár V Attila; Halassy Melinda; Deák Balázs. Roadside grassland restoration: Challenges and opportunities in the UN decade on ecosystem restoration CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & HEALTH, 34. Paper: 100490 (2023)
2023
Edina Csákvári; Nóra Sáradi; Boglárka Berki; Anikó Csecserits; Anna Cseperke Csonka; Paolinelli Reis Bruna; Katalin Török; Orsolya Valkó; Márton Vörös; Melinda Halassy. Native species can reduce the establishment of invasive alien species if sown in high density and using competitive species RESTORATION ECOLOGY 31 : 5 Paper: e13901 (2023)
2023
Csonka Anna Cseperke; Török Katalin; Csecserits Anikó; Halassy Melinda. Grassland reconstruction in a factory yard increases biodiversity and reduces costs of installation and maintenance APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, 26 : 4, Paper: e12752 (2023)
2023
Reis Bruna Paolinelli; Kövendi-Jakó Anna; Csákvári Edina; Szitár Katalin; Török Katalin; Sáradi Nóra; Llumiquinga Yesenia Belén; Halassy Melinda. Early sowing is more effective in the long-term for restoring sandy grassland than six years of mowing or carbon amendment ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING, 186 Paper: 106824 (2023)
2023
Csákvári Edina; Molnár Zsolt; Halassy Melinda. Estimates of regeneration potential in the Pannonian sand region help prioritize ecological restoration interventions COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, 5, Paper: 1136 (2022)
2022
Reis, Bruna Paolinelli; Szitár, Katalin; Kövendi-Jakó, Anna; Török, Katalin; Sáradi, Nóra; Csákvári, Edina; Halassy, Melinda. The long-term effect of initial restoration intervention, landscape composition, and time on the progress of Pannonic sand grassland restoration LANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING. 2022: -
2022
Csecserits, Anikó; Halassy, Melinda; Lhotsky, Barbara; Rédei, Tamás; Somay, László; Botta-Dukát, Zoltán. Changing assembly rules during secondary succession: evidence for non-random patterns BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY. 52: 46-56
2021
Csákvári, Edina; Bede-Fazekas, Ákos; Horváth, Ferenc; Molnár, Zsolt; Halassy, Melinda. Do environmental predictors affect the regeneration capacity of sandy habitats? A country-wide survey from Hungary GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION. 27: -
2021
Reis Paolinelli, Bruna; Kövendi‐Jakó, Anna; Szitár, Katalin; Török, Katalin; Halassy, Melinda. Long‐term effect of mowing on the restoration of Pannonian sand grassland to replace invasive black locust plantation RESTORATION ECOLOGY. 29: -
2021
Halassy, Melinda; Kövendi‐Jakó, Anna; Reis, Bruna; Szitár, Katalin; Seyidova, Zeynab; Török, Katalin. N immobilization treatment revisited: A retarded and temporary effect unfolded in old-field restoration APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE. 24: -
2021
Llumiquinga, Y.B.; Reis, B. P.; Sáradi, N.; Török, K.; Szitár, K.; Halassy, M. Long-term results of initial seeding, mowing and carbon amendment on the restoration of Pannonian sand grassland on old-fields TUEXENIA. 41: 361-379
2021
