Land-use history studies in the northwestern part of the Great Hungarian Plain

Abstract

The landscape is under pressure of deep human impacts in the northwestern part of the Great Hungarian Plain (in Pesti-síkság area, near the capital Budapest). Authors aimed to explore the land-use history of the catchment area of Sződrákosi stream in the last two centuries. The population of this area has grown to almost ten times bigger during the last two centuries and nowadays the extension of built-up areas is eleven times larger than in the second half of the 18th century. These processes have caused rapid increase in the extension of arable fields until the mid-20th century. Among the natural and semi-natural habitats, the extension of dry meadows was twenty times larger in the 18th century than mid-20th century. This habitat type currently is regenerating on arable fields which were abandoned in the second half of the 20th century. Since the second half of the 18th century, wet meadows have decreased onto one-seventh because of expansion of vegetable growing along the streams and declining animal husbandry. The areas of orchards, vineyards, forests and tree plantations have increased, but the latter one consist mostly of non-native tree species (black locust, Scotch and Austrian pine). As the effects of drainage and ploughing, the lowest proportion of marshes and fens (only 0,4 %) was observed in the second half of the 19th century. Nowadays the extension of these habitats (and still waters) is the largest in the last two centuries (animal husbandry has been declining and several new fishponds were created). Our results show close correspondence between written documents and historical maps. From a landscape protection view, the most considerable problem is the fragmentation and isolation of natural and semi-natural habitats. Namely, it decreases the regeneration potential of landscape which limit the success of landscape rehabilitation. Noteworthy is the fact, the flora of regenerating habitats is poor, and in addition, the spread of several invasive species (e.g. Asclepias syriaca, Solidago spp.) is observable.