L. Forró szerk.: Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica 10. 1995 (Budapest, 1995)

Báldi, A., Zágon, A.; Bankovics, A.: Status of the avifauna in the Szigetköz riparian area: an ornithological evaluation for nature conservation

MISCELLANEA ZOOLOGICA HUNGARICA Tomus 10. 1995 p. 127-136 Status of the avifauna in the Szigetköz riparian area: an ornithological evaluation for nature conservation by A. Báldi, A. Zágon & A. Bankovics (Received April 7, 1995) Abstract: The Szigetköz riparian area on the River Danube has become a key-area in Hungarian nature conservation. We summarized the ornithological research in the area, and compiled a list of 208 bird species. This list was compared with national (Hungarian Red Data Book, the lists of protected and strictly protected species) and international (Appendices of the Bern Convention, list of the Corine Biotope Project and the IUCN Red List) red data books and lists. Our conclusion is that the area harbour high species diversity, and the regionally most vulnerable species are the nationally most valuable ones. More active nature conservation is needed to preserve even the common species, relating to wetlands and water. Key words: Szigetköz riparian area, bird species richness, conservation biological evaluation Introduction The governments of the People's Republic of Czechoslovakia and the People's Republic of Hungary decided to build a huge reservoir and dam system on the River Danube decades ago. Their aims were to build a hydroelectric power-station and to increase navigability in that river section. Although the construction works began already many years ago, nature conservation arguments were taken into consideration only in the last few years, when the Hungarian government cancelled the contract due to the acute threat of an ecological catastrophe. The Szigetköz has a unique geomorphological character and landscape structure. It was the delta of the Danube at the Pannonian Lake which filled up in the Pliocene (Mike 1991). After the Pannonian Lake dried out, the former delta region became a so-called inland delta, where the riparian habitat is extremely wide and large, compared to other riparian habitats in Europe. Therefore it may be an extraordinary source of riparian landscape, habitat and wildlife diversity. In addition, it is known, that riparian habitats are of crucial importance for nature conservation, both as réfugia and corridors for wildlife (Décamps 1993, Malanson 1993, Naiman et al. 1993). The ornithological surveys by the staff of the Hungarian Natural History Museum started in the last decade. There were several ecological investigations (e.g. Moskát et al. 1993, Moskát & Fuisz in press, Waliczky et al. 1991, Waliczky 1992), conservation biological studies (Báldi & Moskát 1994, Báldi & Kisbenedek 1994), and many non-published reports (e.g. Mészáros & Báldi 1992), mainly data of the biological inventories. The aim of this paper is to present the nature conservational aspects of the recent ornithological works in the Szigetköz, conducted by the staff of the Museum. The focus is on the occurrence of species, their status, and their value in the light of several national and international red lists. The presence of bird species of the Szigetköz on these red lists may reflect the ornithological uniqueness of the area. An other extended (in prep.) work on the