Grassland Fires in Hungary – Experiences of Nature Conservationists on the Effects of Fire on Biodiversity

Abstract

Abstract. Fire as a natural disturbance has been present in most European grasslands. Controlled burning was also an important component of the traditional landscape management for millennia. It was mainly used to reduce litter and woody vegetation and to maintain open landscapes suitable for farming. Due to socio-economical changes traditional and sustainable use of fire was ceased and replaced by arsons and technical fires in Europe. Despite its wide application in the past and the considerable extension and frequency of current grassland fires, the impact of fire on the grassland biodiversity is still scarcely documented in Europe. The aim of this study is to offer a perspective on the issue of fire impact on grasslands, by overviewing published information and practical experiences from Hungary. Our results suggest that fire can be detrimental for several taxa (e.g. insects or ground-dwelling birds), but can also promote population growth of several endangered species by reducing litter or by creating and maintaining open habitats. We also found that fire may be effective in controlling invasive plant species. The effect of fire on grassland biodiversity may be rather context-dependent. There is a critical need for developing robust evidences on the context-dependence of fire effect on biodiversity. For this, well designed prescribed burning experiments are crucial.

Effects of Sport Tourism on Temperate Grassland Communities (Duna-Ipoly National Park, Hungary)

“…1) (11) is characterised by the highest cover value of leaf litter. The plots of 4th group are in the vicinity of other parts of the sample plots (4,5,6,7,9,10). In the 4th group the higher cover value of Euphorbia seguieriana and the presence of Scorzonera hispanica are characteristic.…”

“…The last group (5th) has only one plot with the presence of Lithospermum arvense, Stipa capillata and Allium scorodoprasum. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10) and control (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) The distribution of life form categories shows more hemikryptophytes and chamaephytes in the sample plots than in the control plots.…”

“…The 2nd plot extremely differ from the 1st group because of the high cover value of Fragaria vesca, Thymus glabrescens, low cover value of Sanguisorba minor and lack of Galium verum and Helianthemum ovatum. In the third group there are mixed plots from sample plots (8,9,10) and some control plots (18,19,20 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10) and control (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) The distribution of life form categories does not show any significant difference between the sample plots and the control plots (Fig. 10).…”

“…In the sample plots the Ferula plants were mainly short (5 cm) and dried. (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10) and control (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) The distribution of life form categories shows significant difference in the category of hemikryptophytes and therophytes between the sample plots and the control plots. The ratio of hemikryptophytes in the sample plots is lower than in the control plots, besides, the ratio of therophytes is higher there than in the control plots (Fig.…”

The history and natural regeneration of a secondary oak-beech woodland on a former wood-pasture in Hungary

“…Management practices also included burning. The importance and role of fire in wood-pasture and grassland management in Central and East Europe has only recently been recognized [52,53]. This type of nonforest use is closely related to traditional land-use based on traditional ecological knowledge [16,54] conscious tree management of silvopastoral systems comes from the observation that the scattered seed-trees were all the same age, and thus dated from the time that the area was transformed into a pasture [55].…”