Dénes Andrea szerk.: Pécs és környéke növényvilága egykor és ma (Dunántúli Dolgozatok (A) Természettudományi sorozat 12. Pécs, 2010)
Purger Dragica: A Pécs-Nagyárpád melletti Natura
162 DUNÁNTÚLI DOLGOZATOK (A) TERMÉSZETTUDOMÁNYI SOROZAT 12 növénytakarója. - In: PÉCSI M. (szerk.): Nemzeti Atlasz. Kartográfiai Vállalat, Budapest, pp. 89. Z ÓLYOMI B. & F EKETE G. 1994: The Pannonian loess steppe: differentiation in space and time. - Abstracta botanica 18: 29-41. Az I. (1763-1787), a II. (1806-1869) és a III. (1869-84) katonai felmérések térképlapjai Országos Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum Hadtörténelmi Térképtára, www. gyepgazdalkodas. hu. www.termeszetvedelem.hu Grasslands of the Pécs-Nagyárpád Natura 2000 site DRAGICA PURGER South-Transdanubian Environment Protection and Water Management Directorate H- 7623 Pécs, Köztársaság tér 7. E-mail: purger. dragica@ddkovizig. hu On the southern part of Pécs town (S-Hungary) in Nagyárpád cca 6 ha grassland area is protected as a Natura 2000 site. Archaeological surveys suggest that the area was used as a human settlement in the Bronze Age and has been under anthropogenic influences continuously during its history. Nevertheless, according to the old maps, the steep slopes of the loess hills have not been ploughed at least for 250 years, therefore valuable dry and semidry grasslands have remained preserved. In the period 2001-2009 floristical and coenological surveys were carried out, relevés were made on 2 m x 2 m and 20 m x 20 m plots (Phytocoenological table is annexed). Most of area is covered by stands in which Festuca rupicola, Brachypodium pinnatum, Bromus erectus and Chrysopogon gryllus dominate. The floristical richness of these dry and semidry grasslands (up to 47 plant species per 4 m 2, more than 90 species per 400 m 2 plots) can be partly explained by natural condition and vegetation diversity of the landscape (e.g. semi-dry forests, hedgerows, shrubberies, meadows, tall herbs). Great nature conservation values of the surveyed vegetation are shown also by analyses of the social behaviour types (SBT) indicating that most of the plants (44%) are species generally occurring in dry grasslands, 35% are disturbance tolerant species, 7% are weeds and alien plants. Especially important are specialists and rare specialists (5%), mostly legally protected plants (e.g. Digitalis lanata, Spirantes spiralis , Orchis militaris, Taraxacum serotinum, Linum tenuifolium, Erysimum odoratum, Cirsium boujartii). The most important nature conservational problems of the area are: shrubs spreading on grassland area due to the cessation of grazing by sheep on the hills for the last 15-20 years, destruction of grassland for illegal building construction, as well as the spreading of alien plants. For maintaining the grasslands and improving their natural condition we suggest combined management options: grazing by sheep and partial burning in early spring. Urgent cutting and controlled herbicide treatment for removing alien plants (e.g. Ailanthus altissima, Robinia pseudoacacia, Asclepias syriaca) is necessary.
