MBH Bank Supports Two Habitat Restoration Projects in Hungary While Becoming the First Company to Join WWF Hungary’s Green Academy Programme

MBH Bank and WWF Hungary are launching their cooperation by supporting the restoration of two ecologically significant yet distinctly different Hungarian habitats, while also strengthening employees’ sustainability awareness. As part of the joint initiative, a new forest will be established in Kőszeg, and water retention measures will improve the condition of a floodplain habitat in the Nagy-rét meadow near Tiszajenő. In addition, the Green Academy, a pioneering awareness-raising programme developed by WWF Hungary, Progressive Advertising Agency, and Universum 8, will be made available to 50 MBH employees. Built around modern knowledge-sharing methods, the interactive corporate e-learning platform brings sustainability issues, which often seem distant and abstract, closer to everyday life and decision-making.

Making Space for Water and Forests

The habitat restoration project in the Kőszeg region, implemented in cooperation with the Őrség National Park Directorate, will create a forest habitat on approximately one hectare of land currently used as arable farmland. The area forms part of both the Kőszeg Landscape Protection Area and the Natura 2000 network, and is located at the interface between a protected natural area and an urban-industrial environment. The afforestation project is therefore significant from a landscape perspective, while also contributing to enhanced biodiversity, long-term climate regulation, and carbon sequestration.

The second location is Nagy-rét meadow near Tiszajenő, one of the most diverse and best-preserved floodplain grasslands in the Middle Tisza region. The intervention, carried out in cooperation with the Hortobágy National Park Directorate, aims to improve water retention capacity by slowing the runoff of water through the modification of a canal section approximately 660 metres in length. The project involves constructing broad-bottomed weirs to impede water flow and create temporary pools of varying sizes. These habitats will provide breeding and shelter opportunities for amphibians and contribute to improved water balance in surrounding areas, thereby enhancing resilience to climate change. The intervention will also improve habitat conditions for several species of high conservation importance, including the Scarce Large Blue butterfly, the Fire-bellied Toad, the Danube Crested Newt, and the Corncrake.

“Businesses can and should play a meaningful role in nature conservation and environmental awareness-raising. What is particularly valuable about MBH Bank’s commitment is that this complex habitat restoration initiative does not focus on a single species or issue, but seeks to restore the functioning of entire natural systems, both in forest and wetland ecosystems. Joining the Green Academy highlights another important aspect of this approach: helping employees understand the connections between nature and the economy, how our decisions affect natural systems, and what role we can play in preserving them,” said Márta Vetier, Managing Director of WWF Hungary.

Exciting Corporate Sustainability Training Through Gamification: Green Academy

The second pillar of the partnership is the introduction of the Green Academy, an interactive and gamified sustainability e-learning programme developed under the professional leadership of WWF Hungary and launched first at MBH Bank.

The online training is structured around four key sustainability topics: climate change, water management, food production, and biodiversity. Through videos, animations, infographics, and interactive exercises presented by well-known hosts and WWF Hungary experts, the programme makes complex environmental challenges easier to understand and engage with.

A distinctive feature of the programme is its innovative approach to corporate learning. Rather than following the format of traditional workplace training, Green Academy incorporates quizzes, games, and tasks throughout the video content, allowing participants to engage actively in the learning process and deepen their understanding of the topics covered.

Green Academy operates on a customizable online platform tailored to individual companies. MBH Bank is the first organisation to implement the programme, with an initial cohort of 50 employees participating. Through this initiative, the bank actively involves its workforce in a shared conversation about sustainability while reinforcing employees’ sense of belonging to an organisation that is committed to addressing issues of societal importance.

“Protecting and restoring natural assets is now a shared responsibility in which the financial sector must play an active and transformative role. We firmly believe that economic growth and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive, and market participants must recognise the importance of natural capital. Our partnership with WWF Hungary is special because it goes beyond words: we are supporting tangible habitat restoration projects while also engaging our employees in shaping a more sustainable mindset through Green Academy,” emphasized András Puskás, Deputy CEO of MBH Bank.

The partnership therefore approaches sustainability from two complementary directions: by improving the condition of specific habitats in nature, and by strengthening sustainability-related knowledge and awareness within the company. The ultimate goal is to make positive change tangible both in the natural environment and in everyday decision-making.