This study presents habitat maps from two years in which precipitation was extreme -2000 was one of the driest years while 2010 was one of the wettest years in the Carpathian Basin. The study area is in northern Hungary, beside the River Ipoly, in the municipality of Drégelypalánk, with a smaller proportion in Hont and Ipolyvece. Its extent is 621.5 hectares. During the field survey habitat polygons were recorded using a hand-held GPS device, with aerial photographs helping to identify the exact location. Processing of the data, establishment of a database of the mapped area, and editing of maps were performed using ESRI ArcView GIS 3.2 and ESRI ArcGIS 10.0. The maps, at a scale of 1:15,000, show vegetation and habitats of the study area. They display changes occurring within habitats, in habitat types determined by their nature, composition and changes that occurred along their polygon borders. Large vegetation changes caused by the changes in precipitation over the time period can be tracked with the maps which display habitat changes. The area of wetlands increased significantly, whilst areas of meadow and marsh decreased and in their place new complex aquatic habitat forms appeared. The number of habitat complexes also increased because of the presence of water linked to habitat types and fragments. In the humid period, a sustained floodplain groundwater-level increase was observed that resulted in a mosaic appearance in habitats, but led to species degradation.

Tourism has been a determining factor in the economic growth of Hungary recently and it will continue to have a significant role in the future development of the country. Although Hungary has great potentials in tourism sector, it is concentrated only on a few places of the country at present, especially in the capital, Budapest. While tourism has about 10% share in the national GDP production, most of it is generated in the capital. In addition, to the center of the country, there are only a few places that are really known by foreign tourists and thus are able to attract crowds. Such places are Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Europe; and the city of Debrecen, the second largest city in the country, with its surroundings and several thermal baths. The aim of our paper is to analyze the tendencies of Hungarian tourism, focusing on the festivals, and to follow the changes of the tourism strategies, as well as the direct and indirect effects of the development of the tourism industry on the economic growth of the country. In order to prepare our study, we have collected information on tourism from the Central Statistical Office, from the organizers of the different festivals throughout the country and from the National Tourism Office. Based on our research, we intend to draw consequences on the sector and define recommendations for further developments, because we believe that festivals can be the solution for the sustainable economic and social development of several rural areas, providing income for a huge part of population in the countryside.

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The manuscript presents maps of internationally important wetlands located in the Kis-Sárrét (Hungary) from 1860 to 2008. The study area is located in south-east Hungary, in the Körös-Maros National Park and covers 8048 ha. For the historic map review, we used digitized data of topographic maps from the period of two military surveys and the Second World War. We also made habitat maps of the area in 2007 and 2008. Data processing, and the establishment of a database of the mapped area, was made using QuantumGIS 1.7.0 and Esri ArcView GIS 3.2. Maps were produced using Esri ArcGIS 10.0 and show where and in what ratio the once extensive wetlands occurred, how they changed and in which part of the area they survived in different mapping periods. They provide a point of reference for the monitoring of wetlands, contributing to the long-term conservation of these valuable habitats. Maps and diagrams show that between 1860 and 1944 wetland extent decreased by half. The ratio of natural, 'purely' wet habitats reaches only 4.67% now. Wetlands typically occur in habitat complexes, therefore not 'purely' wet habitats (20.77%) also have to be taken into account. Considering this, and a recent habitat reconstruction, the extent of wetlands is more favourable today than it was in 1944. However, to sustain them requires care and well-planned management to which the maps presented here provide an important basis.

Habitat mapping was carried out on Vésztő-Mágorpuszta Nature Reserve based on the Hungarian National Habitat Classification System. Habitat codes occurring within habitat patches and short description of each patch are given in parallel with a detailed species list (completed with dominance relations). Based on these, a habitat map of the area and habitat-based thematic maps of sodic areas influenced by water were prepared. The central part of the observed area is diverse and valuable from a botanical point of view, part of the area with complex patches is sodic, in between with sporadic lowland swards and some smaller lowland steppes. Possible reason for abandonment of management on these areas could be the influence of water. Rate of areas with higher dominance of weeds is small.