Poster Session: Conservation Planning

Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Agricultural Lands in Hungary. Malatinszky, Ákos^*,1, Skutai, Julianna¹, Belényesi, Márta¹, Grónás, Viktor¹, Centeri, Csaba¹, ¹ Szent István University, Gödöllő, Pest megye, Hungary

ABSTRACT- The aim of the general nature conservation guidelines is to enable farmers and other organizations managing nature conservation areas with regard to these guidelines to comply with legal, professional and social requirements. The emergence of more intensive, specialized and mechanized forms of agriculture has disrupted, often delicate relationships between farming and wildlife. In the perspective of future EU membership, Hungary adopted an integration program, which includes the development and introduction of an Agri-Environmental Program (AEP) in Hungary in order to take over the legislative framework of EU Regulation 2078/92. A land use zone study was prepared in 1997. The regional programs (zonal schemes, environmentally sensitive areas, ESAs) have well-defined geographical boundaries that delimitate non-protected or partly protected areas valuable for nature conservation. The aim here is the enhancement of natural values and habitats, the maintenance of high natural value farming. 10 ESA programs were launched in 2002 and more annually. A detailed database for the pilot areas of the 10 most important ESA was prepared. The site specific farm management prescription packages for the delimited Environmentally Sensitive Areas has been work out with the help of National Park Directorates. The aim of the present work is to describe the effects of the program through analysis of applications of farmers.

KEY WORDS: Agri-Environmental Program, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, Land Use