LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL FRAGMENTATION OF THE SMALL LANDSCAPE UNITS (MICROREGIONS) OF HUNGARY BASED ON THE SETTLEMENT NETWORK AND TRAFFIC INFRASTRUCTURE

摘要

Landscape geographical research has not dealt with the determination of the degree of ecological fragmentation of landscapes in Hungary yet The degree of ecological fragmentation of landscapes is a useful index for landscape protection and planning In this study that index was determined using the 1:250 000 scale maps of the Cartographia Road Atlas of Hungary. On the base of the Cadastral of Microregions of Hungary, the boundaries of the microregions were drawn into the maps, and then within those fixed boundaries the greatest diameter of small settlements and length of roads and railroads was measured. In the case of large settlements the extent of inner parts, traffic intensities of the roads was taken into account, while in the case of railroads it was taken into consideration whether railway lines are single or double tracked. Results were purified using a weighting, where the location of the protected natural areas compared to the situation of the given settlement, roads or railroads was taken into consideration. In the calculations it was taken into account as well that the agglomeration processes of the large settlements may restrict the ecological gates and corridors of the migration of plant and animal species Values of the fragmentation index can be given in km/km2 for the 230 microregions of Hungary, but in the present study the values distorted by weighting are presented in maps (Figs 1, 2, 3) It can be seen from the map (Fig 3) that in 23 microregions the fragmentation index is higher than 5. Strongest ecological barriers can be found in microregions in valleys and small basins within mountain regions of medium height and in the environs of the lake Balaton and Budapest.