Ábrahám Levente (szerk.): Válogatott tanulmányok IX. - Natura Somogyiensis 24. (Kaposvár, 2014)
Miókovics E. - Bódis J. - Molnár Zs.: Analysis of landscape change in the Nagyberek (Somogy, Hungary) with the DPSIR Framework
Miókovics E., Bódis J., Molnár, Zs.: Analysis of landscape change 9 The knowledge of landscape history is crucial to analyse landscape change and its impacts. Based on landscape history and the main changes of the state of the Nagyberek we identified the period before 1900 as a “benchmark”, a reference state, because the landscape has changed drastically from this period. The railway was built on the sandbank between Lake Balaton and the Nagyberek. This bank functioned as a gate and the water of Balaton could stream in the area of the Nagyberek only after significant water- level rise and heavy storms. The drainage of the whole area had immediate and intensive effects, as all of the incoming waters were drained in artificial channels. With the help of the model we studied the reasons and effects of changes, the driving forces - which caused the changes between the reference state and the actual state-, the pressures and its impacts in a complex way, and we summarized the responses that were implemented in order to protect the habitats. We studied the changes of the following categories (habitat complexes): I. marshes: reed beds, tussock sedge communities and non-tussock beds of large sedges II. grasslands: meadows and pastures, mesotrophic meadows, rich fens III. forests: plantations and natural forests IV. arable land. Results Main characteristics of landscape changes The area of the Nagyberek has faced pressures for a long time. Land use started to be intensified ca. 60 years ago. Such pressures are the artificially changed water balance, the intensification of agriculture, the ploughing of marshes and the development of road and rail network. Prior to this development the building of the rail network was the most drastic intervention in the landscape as no way had crossed the marsh before. The M7 motorway fragmented the area of the Nagyberek. These pressures led to the actual state: spread of adventive species, habitat loss and fragmentation, disruption of water balance, water scarcity. As a result the most significant effect is the large area of threatened wetlands. The life of the inhabitants has changed fundamentally in the last 60 years (nationalisation, migration), therefore the connection between the inhabitants and the landscape has loosened, traditional land use has disappeared. Impacts threatening the balance of ecosystem are increasing. The spread of adventive species has the most damaging impact on the landscape. The area of degraded habitats is growing as a result of the lack of inherited ecological knowledge and the overuse of habitats or the lack of habitat management. Furthermore semi-natural areas disappear or become fragmented as a consequence of improper land use. The responses try to maintain and increase the naturalness of the habitats. The legal responses which protect the habitats of the Nagyberek are based on Act No. LIII. of 1996 on Nature Conservation in Hungary. The Nagyberek Fehérvíz Nature Conservation Area protects the most valuable habitats with management regulations (restriction of the use of arable land, water retention). Important regulations are the nature-friendly grassland management, suppression of invasive species and the prohibition of non-native woodland plantations. The required water level was regulated in 2013 in the management plan of the Nagyberek Fehérvíz Nature Conservation Area (Decree 9/2013. (II. 20. VM). In the case of Natura 2000 areas the following laws are important: Decree No. 275 of 2004 (X. 8.) of the Government on nature conservation areas of European Community importance, Decree No. 269 of 2007 (X. 18) of the Government on the regulations of land use on NATURA 2000 grasslands, Decree No. 61
