Ecseg Pusztas of Dévaványa (1396)
Hungary, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1d
Year of last assessment: 2002
National site name: Dévaványai Ecsegi-puszták
Central coordinates: Latitude: 47.1667, Longitude: 21.1500
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 84 to 86
Area of KBA (km2): 287.00705
Protected area coverage (%): 87.11
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An area of reclaimed marshland on the Great Plain, bordered by the River Berettyó in the east, the River Körös in the south, the Hortobágy-Berettyó Canal in the west, and the ó-Berettyó Canal in the north. Secondary saline grasslands and arable lands exist on poor soil. Human activities include cattle- and sheep-grazing, haymaking, goose-farming and arable farming.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: An important area for farmland birds, associated with extensive forms of land-use, including the most significant local population of Otis tarda in Hungary. Daily maximum totals of between 1,500 and 2,000 Grus grus have been recorded migrating over the Hortobágy-Berettyó Canal. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Haliaeetus albicilla (4-12 wintering birds).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (90%) | nature conservation and research (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 70 | |
| Grassland | 30 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The conservation authority runs a farming business within the National Park, and is therefore able to minimize the threat posed to Otis tarda by mechanical cultivation. Drainage and drought threaten wetlands, whilst farmland habitats could be lost if agriculture were to become economically viable. Two artificially flooded meadows provide habitat for waders, and there is a management plan dating from the late 1970s.