Biodiversity on the waves of history: Conservation in a changing social and institutional environment in Hungary, a post-soviet EU member state

Mihók, Barbara; Biró, Marianna; Molnár, Zsolt; Kovács, Eszter; Bölöni, János; Erős, Tibor; Standovár, Tibor; Török, Péter; Csorba, Gábor; Margóczi, Katalin; Báldi, András

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2017.05.005

Cited by 51 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…After 1949, under communist rule, agriculture was reorganized into cooperatives and wetland drainage continued, as did agricultural intensification (Borvendég & Palasik 2016). After the fall of communism in 1989, land was reprivatized, land-use became temporarily less intensive, and grazing livestock numbers fell sharply (Jepsen et al 2015;KSH 2015;Mihók et al 2017).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The total area covered by protected areas increased slowly until the first national parks were established in the 1970s (Rakonczai 2009). After the fall of communism in 1989, nature conservation institutions were reinvigorated, culminating in stricter legislation in 1996 (Rakonczai 2009;Mihók et al 2017).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The decrease in habitat loss rates since Hungary's accession to the European Union may be the result of the decreasing amount of seminatural habitat area available for loss (for land conversion), marginal agricultural areas being abandoned (gain), and the increasing impact of environmental movements and nature conservation (Mihók et al 2017). However, the area of 11 habitat types is still declining.…”

Section: Increase and Decrease Of Loss Rates After The Fall Of Communismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nature conservation had a significant effect on habitat loss: trends were reversed, net habitat loss ceased, albeit only in the roughly 9% of the country with national protection (see also Mihók et al 2017). One of the main pillars of European action to halt biodiversity loss is the Natura 2000 network (EC 1992).…”

Section: Halted Net Habitat Loss In Protected Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After the fall of communism in 1989, nature conservation institutions were reinvigorated, culminating in stricter legislation in 1996 (Rakonczai ; Mihók et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of long‐term data to evaluate loss and endangerment status of Natura 2000 habitats and effects of protected areas

Biró

Bölöni

Molnár

2018

Conservation Biology

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Habitat loss is a key driver of biodiversity loss. However, hardly any long-term time series analyses of habitat loss are available above the local scale for finer-level habitat categories. We analysed, from a long-term perspective, the habitat specificity of habitat-area loss, the change in trends in habitat loss since 1989 (dissolution of the communist state), and the impact of protected areas on habitat loss in Hungary. We studied 20 seminatural habitat types in 5000 randomly selected localities over 7 periods from 1783 to 2013 based on historical maps, archival and recent aerial photos and satellite imagery, botanical descriptions, and field data. We developed a method for estimating habitat types based on information transfer between historical sources (i.e., information from a source was used to interpret or enrich information from another source). Trends in habitat loss over time were habitat specific. We identified 7 types of habitat loss over time regarding functional form: linear, exponential, linear and exponential, delayed, minimum, maximum, and disappearance. Most habitats had continuous loss from period to period. After 1986 the average annual rates of habitat loss increased, but the trend reversed after 2002. Nature conservation measures significantly affected habitat loss; net loss was halted, albeit only inside protected areas. When calculating the degree of endangerment based on short-term data (52 years), we classified only 1 habitat as critically endangered, but based on long-term data (230 years), this increased to 7 (including habitat that no longer existed). Hungary will probably reach the global Convention on Biological Diversity Target 5 but will probably not achieve the EU Biodiversity Strategy target of halting habitat loss by 2020. Long-term trend data were highly useful when we examined recent habitat-loss data in a wider context. Our method could be applied effectively in other countries to augment shorter-term data sets on trends in habitat area.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Increase and Decrease Of Loss Rates After The Fall Of Communismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Halted Net Habitat Loss In Protected Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After the fall of communism in 1989, nature conservation institutions were reinvigorated, culminating in stricter legislation in 1996 (Rakonczai ; Mihók et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of long‐term data to evaluate loss and endangerment status of Natura 2000 habitats and effects of protected areas

Biró

Bölöni

Molnár

2018

Conservation Biology

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Cultural Landscapes and Novel Ecosystems

Clément

2020

Governing the Anthropocene

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This chapter considers the ways in which rapid and intense social, economic, and ecological pressures are transforming cultural landscapes through the lens of novel ecosystems. It argues that cultural landscapes now exist in novel contexts, creating many of the same tensions and challenges for biodiversity conservation as in novel ecosystems. It explores the concept of ecological baselines and what constitutes a ‘desirable’ state in conservation, and how these are shifting. The concept of cultural severance is introduced, and the connection between changes in culture and the loss of biodiversity is explored. The chapter builds on these ideas to examine three different types of cultural landscapes that could provide lessons for elsewhere: heathland in the UK, alvar grasslands in Estonia, and satoyama in Japan.

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The long-term effect of initial restoration intervention, landscape composition, and time on the progress of Pannonic sand grassland restoration

et al. 2022

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To help upscale ecological restoration of degraded lands, landscape factors and longer time scales should be considered when assessing restoration efforts. We evaluated the impact of initial restoration intervention, landscape composition, and elapsed time since the restoration began on the long-term progress of Pannonic sand grassland restoration. Treatments (seeding, mowing, and carbon amendment) were implemented for 6–7 years and monitoring lasted up to 23 years after the first treatment applications in eight experimental blocks belonging to three field experiments. The abundance of target/neophyte species, and distance from primary grasslands and plantations (as major source of target/neophyte species) were estimated in 500 m landscape buffers around each block to characterize landscape composition. Restoration progress was calculated as the difference between the relative cover of target/neophyte species in treatment and control plots. Restoration intervention and neophyte abundance in the landscape had a significant effect on the restoration progress, but time did not. Seeding had the highest positive effect on target species and also prevented invasion by neophyte species. Higher abundance of neophytes in the landscape and the proximity to plantations increased the cover of neophytes in treatment plots. We conclude that restoration interventions may have a greater impact on restoration progress in the longer term than landscape factors or elapsed time. Seeding proved to be the best method in restoring sand grasslands by both favoring target species and controlling invasion. From the landscape factors, the abundance of neophyte species and distance to plantations should be considered when prioritizing areas and efforts for restoration.

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Biodiversity on the waves of history: Conservation in a changing social and institutional environment in Hungary, a post-soviet EU member state

Cited by 51 publications

References 57 publications

Use of long‐term data to evaluate loss and endangerment status of Natura 2000 habitats and effects of protected areas

Use of long‐term data to evaluate loss and endangerment status of Natura 2000 habitats and effects of protected areas

Cultural Landscapes and Novel Ecosystems

The long-term effect of initial restoration intervention, landscape composition, and time on the progress of Pannonic sand grassland restoration

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