Relationship Between Landscape Management, Land Use and Ecological Network in Nagykörű

In the summer of 2022, we experienced an extreme water shortage in the Great Hungarian Plain and the consequences influenced and still influence our lives in several ways. The long-term solution to the problem of drought is sustainable landscape management, which builds on the natural characteristics of the area – climate, soil, topography, hydrographic conditions and opportunities. The ecological network can provide a suitable framework for this concept, since the original idea intended to create balance between intensive and extensive land use. Our goal was to define the focus areas where the current cultivation is in conflict with the features of the landscape, and we identified the areas where it is necessary to change the cultivation method and those where other water retention proposals can gain space, thus ensuring water even in drier periods. The resulting land use will be in line with the water cycle, thereby increasing the area's resilience against drought. In our research, we chose the municipality of Nagykörű and its surroundings along the Tisza River as our study area, which - like the rest of the Great Plain - was hit by an exceptionally severe drought in the summer of 2022. On the 90 km2 research area, after fieldwork, we performed various GIS analyses. Based on these we examined the possibilities and suitability of the cultivation methods in the given area and worded our proposals. In the course of our research, we consulted with water management experts and local farmers in order to get a more accurate picture of the area's features, problems, and the feasibility of our proposals. The landscape architecture master students of MATE also helped us in preparing the analyses. The results showed that currently a significant part of the area is not managed in accordance with the geographical conditions. The deeper fields in the middle of the area, which currently are under intensive farming, would belo9ng, under natural conditions to the floodplain of the river Tisza. Here the extensive cultivation methods, such as orchards, gardens, or meadows are recommended. At the same time, the flood-free parts of the sample area are suitable for agriculture. If water retention strategies are used in the suitable areas, these will be more protected against the effects of drought

Landscape planning dilemmas and challenges in designation and management of the ecological network alongside the Tisza River in Hungary.

In our research we focused on the ecological network and its flaws alongside the Tisza river. For defining these deficiencies, we analyzed the available databases, evaluated the different territorial protected environmental resources and collected data about the protected areas along the river. Taking all this information into account we compared our results with the already existing National Ecological Network, assigning its deficiency. Our goal was to identify a manageable frame of regional scale of ecological network and to create a network that contains all the categories listed above while preserving its original purpose. To achieve this, we compared our GIS based results to the already existing network categories of the river

Relationship Between Landscape Management, Land Use and Ecological Network in Nagykörű

In the summer of 2022, we experienced an extreme water shortage in the Great Hungarian Plain and the consequences influenced and still influence our lives in several ways. The long-term solution to the problem of drought is sustainable landscape management, which builds on the natural characteristics of the area – climate, soil, topography, hydrographic conditions and opportunities. The ecological network can provide a suitable framework for this concept, since the original idea intended to create balance between intensive and extensive land use. Our goal was to define the focus areas where the current cultivation is in conflict with the features of the landscape, and we identified the areas where it is necessary to change the cultivation method and those where other water retention proposals can gain space, thus ensuring water even in drier periods. The resulting land use will be in line with the water cycle, thereby increasing the area's resilience against drought. In our research, we chose the municipality of Nagykörű and its surroundings along the Tisza River as our study area, which - like the rest of the Great Plain - was hit by an exceptionally severe drought in the summer of 2022. On the 90 km2 research area, after fieldwork, we performed various GIS analyses. Based on these we examined the possibilities and suitability of the cultivation methods in the given area and worded our proposals. In the course of our research, we consulted with water management experts and local farmers in order to get a more accurate picture of the area's features, problems, and the feasibility of our proposals. The landscape architecture master students of MATE also helped us in preparing the analyses. The results showed that currently a significant part of the area is not managed in accordance with the geographical conditions. The deeper fields in the middle of the area, which currently are under intensive farming, would belo9ng, under natural conditions to the floodplain of the river Tisza. Here the extensive cultivation methods, such as orchards, gardens, or meadows are recommended. At the same time, the flood-free parts of the sample area are suitable for agriculture. If water retention strategies are used in the suitable areas, these will be more protected against the effects of drought

Az ökológiai hálózat használati és kiterjedési kérdései Magyarországon = Dilemmas in the Use and Layout of the Ecological Network in Hungary

Hungary faced an extreme drought in the summer of 2022, especially in the Great Hungarian Plain. Many local farmers called for a change – only to find that the change requires all of them and the re-thinking of the way they use their lands. Our research aims to use the original Eastern European Ecological Network concept to locate key areas of biodiversity, connectivity and water management - where the necessary landuse changes can be implemented. We examined the area in a regional scale, using connectivity analyses, and in a local scale, analyzing land use, habitats and the aspects of natural water cycle of the landscape. We found that the regional scale model gave slightly different results than the local-scale research and the difference is strongly related to the inadequate use of the potential flood-plain areas. 2022 nyarán Magyarországon szélsőséges aszályt tapasztalhattunk, amely különösen az Alföldet sújtotta. Sok helyi gazdálkodó változást szorgalmazott, ám a változáshoz mindannyiukra egységesen szükség van, és a jelenlegi földhasználati módok újragondolására elengedhetetlen. A kutatásunkban az ökológiai hálózat eredeti keleti európai koncepcióját használjuk a kulcsterületek feltárására, biodiverzitás, konnektivitás és vízgazdálkodás szempontjából, meghatározva azokat a területeket, ahol a tájhasználat-váltások bekövetkezhetnek. Megvizsgáltuk a területet regionális léptékben konnektivitás-analízissel, és helyi léptékben, a területhasználatot és élőhelyeket figyelembe véve, valamint a víz természetes körforgását a tájban is beépítettük a módszertanba. Megállapítottuk, hogy a regionális léptékű modell eredményei enyhén más képet mutattak a helyi eredményekhez képest a mintaterületen, ez pedig nagyban kötődik a terület nem megfelelő műveléséhez a potenciális ártéri területeken

A tervezett M2 gyorsforgalmú út hatásai : A SaveGREEN INTERREG projekt eredményei a magyarországi vizsgálati területen = The Effects of the Planned M2 Motorway : Results of the SaveGREEN INTERREG project in the Hungarian pilot area

The SaveGREEN INTERREG project aims to help conserve or improve ecological corridors through integrated planning and to raise awareness of the different types of appropriate mitigation measures. In connection with the SaveGREEN project and in the framework of the university educational program of landscape architecture students, we prepared a complex landscape assessment and landscape development plan for the planned M2 border area. The SaveGREEN project builds on the results of the TRANSGREEN, ConnectGREEN and HARMON DTP projects. The project focuses on the study areas of the partner countries: the Alpine-Carpathian corridor, the South-Western Carpathians, the Zakarpattya, Beskid, Lyulin and Balkan Mountains and the critical ecological corridors of the planned M2 area in Hungary, which are most affected by transport infrastructure and unsustainable land use. In our study, we present a complex assessment of the Hungarian study area, with a special focus on the assessment of ecological corridors crossing the route of the planned M2 motorway