BIODIVERSITY

    There is very little if any untouched habitats left in Hungary, cultivation or forest management has been going on for many centuries. Despite this long tradition of human management the extensitivity of land use assured an equilibrium for a sustainable cultivation and the protection of nature. Extensive management has even produced secondary habitats of high natural value, like the hay meadows and alkaline grasslands. The intensification of agriculture and the quick development of industry about a century ago brought about a continuously growing threat to the biota at all levels of organisation (genetic, population, habitat and landscape level).
    Still Hungary possesses outstanding natural values in Europe, the most important being: wetlands, dry grasslands, gallery forests and the game stock. This is partly due to a diversified geomorphology and a transitional type of climatic zone (forest - steppe biogeographical zone). The variety of bed-rock types provide habitats for different species groups, the transitional nature of climatic zone enables the occurrence of species of Atlantic, continental and Mediterranean origin.

  Estimated number of species in main taxonomic groups in Hungary 

Taxonomic groups

No. of species in Hungary

Algae

6,000

Fungi

10,000

Lichenes

700

Bryophyta

600

Pterydophyta

60

Gymnospermae

8

Angiospermae

2,300

Porifera

7

Cnidaria

8

Platyhelminthes

400

Nemerthelminthes

2

Aschelminthes

750

Kamptozoa

1

Annelida

130

Mollusca

220

Tardigrada

100

Bryozoa

7

Arthropoda

37,000

Myriapoda

157

Chelicerata

1,700

Crustacea

380

Hexapoda

35,000

Vertebrata

560

Pisces

81

Amphibia

16

Reptilia

15

Aves

373

Mammalia

83

Most important threats to all levels of biodiversity are: habitat loss, different environmental loads resulting in the extinction of some species, invasion by alien species, homogenisation (similar species composition) and fragmentation of habitats, pollution and tourism.

Threats to biodiversity have also secondary and complex effects on the natural state, the loads mentioned above in most cases can hardly be separated from each other. Very often a particular impact reinforces the effect of others. For example in polluted areas the vitality of species is effected providing a possibility for aliens and weeds to invade, or a developed system of roads results in habitat fragmentation and loss of species and at the same time the chances of alien species arrival is increased. These consequences can be observed in Hungary all over the landscape.

Summary of animals and plants listed in the Red Data Book,
as a function of threat categories

 

Taxonomic groups

Extinct and
vanished

Endangered

Vulnerable

Rare

Total (2+6)

No of Species
in Hungary

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1. Mammals

5

7

7

1

20

83

2. Birds

13

21

40

9

83

373

3. Reptiles

-

3

-

1

4

15

4. Amphibians

-

-

1

-

1

16

5. Fishes

-

2

-

-

2

81

I. VERTEBRATES

18

33

48

11

110

560

6. Crustaceans

-

-

-

-

-

380

7. Snails

-

1

I7

-

18

202

8. Insects

35

41

145

51

272

35,000

II. Invertebrates

35

42

162

51

290

42,000

ANIMALS (L+IL)

53

75

210

62

400

42,500

9. Angiospermae

35

40

114

384

573

2,300

10. Gymnospermae

-

-

-

2

2

8

11.Ferns

1

1

13

20

3 5

60

12.Mosses

4

32

39

45

120

600

PLANTS

40

73

166

451

730

3,000

Animals and Plants

93

148

376

513

1130

45,500

Source: Rakonczay Z. (ed): Red Data Book -.Budapest, 1989
 

Globally threatened species in Hungary

MAMMALS

Rhinolophus euryale (VU)
Rhinolophus hipposideros (VU)
Barbastella barbastellus (VU)
Myotis bechsteini (VU)
Myotis dasycneme (VU)
Myotis emarginatus (VU)
Spermophilus citellus (VU)
Spalax leucodon (VU)

BIRDS

Pelecanus crispus (VU)
Anser erythropus (VU)
Branta ruficollis (VU)
Marmaronetta angustirostris (VU)
Aythya nyroca (VU)
Oxyura leucocephala (VU)
Aquila clanga (VU)
Aquila heliaca (VU)
Falco naumanni (VU)
Crex crex (VU)
Otis tarda (VU)
Numenius tenuirostris (CR)
Acrocephalus paludicola (VU)

REPTILES

Vipera ursinii (EN)

FISH

Acipenser güldenstadti (EN)
Acipenser nudiventris (EN)
Acipenser ruthenus (VU)
Acipenser stellatus (EN)
Huso huso (EN)
Hucho hucho (EN)
Umbra krameri (VU)
Gymnocephalus schratzer (VU)
Zingel zingel (VU)
Zingel streber (VU)

INVERTEBRATES

Astacus astacus (VU)
Austropotamobius torrentium (VU)
Cerambyx cerdo (VU)
Morimus funereus (VU)
Rosalia alpina (VU)
Cucujus cinnaberimus (VU)
Dytiscus latissimus (VU)
Osmoderma eremita (VU)
Saga pedo (VU)
Stenobothrodes eurasius (VU)
Onconotus servillei (VU)

PLANTS

Vincetoxicum pannonicum (VU)
Onosma tornensis (In)
Campanula moravica (R)
Campanula xilocarpa (R)
Dianthus diutinus (VU)
Dianthus plumarius ssp. lumnitzeri (EN)
Dianthus plumarius ssp. praecox (EN)
Dianthus plumarius ssp. regis-stephani (EN)
Achillea horanszkyi (EN)
Cirsium boujartii (R)
Centaurea sadleriana (R)
Serratula lycopifolia (R)
Sedum hildebrandtii (R)
Alyssum montanum ssp. brymii (R)
Hesperis vrabelyiana (VU)
Thlaspi jankae (R)
Thlaspi schudichii (VU)
Knautia kitaibellii ssp. tomentella (R)
Astragalus dasyanthus (R)
Linum dolomiticum (EN)
Plantago schwarzenbergiana (R)
Pulsatilla pratensis ssp. hungarica (VU)
Pulsatilla pratensis ssp. zimmermanni (R)
Pulsatilla patens (In)
Rosa villosa var. sancti-andreae (VU)
Sorbus austriaca ssp. hazslinszkyana (VU)
Seseli leucospermum (R)
Festuca wagneri (R)
Koeleria majorifolia (In)
Poa pannonica ssp. scabra (R)
Sesleria heuflerana ssp. hungarica (R)
Stypa dasyphylla (R)
Gladiolus palustris (In)

( ) The IUCN categories: CR - Critical, EN - Endangered, VU - Vulnerable, R - Rare, In - Indeterminate
Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, 1996
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants, 1997

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