Csombárd Meadow Nature Reserve

Csombárd Meadow Nature Reserve is one of the protected natural values of Somogy County. The 53.4‑hectare area was declared protected by the Ministry of Environment and Water's decree 26/2007.

Geography

The meadow is located in the central part of Somogy County, less than 15 km from the centre of Kaposvár, between Mezőcsokonya and Csombárd, within the administrative territory of the former settlement. The area, surrounded by agricultural lands and small forests, can only be reached by a solid‑surfaced road. In its central part an artificial lake has also been enlarged, in which the national park administration conducts extensive fish farming based on natural reproduction. No artificial feeding is carried out, and efforts are made to suppress invasive species.

The characteristic of the area is that, although it is marked only by a few metres of elevation difference (it lies at 143 to 153 metres above sea level), both marshy‑bog habitats and dry, sandy pastures on buckthorn thickets occur. Its bedrock is windblown sand, originally covered by deciduous forests, but as a result of land use some of these have disappeared, the rest have been transformed. Management has continued since then, and the present fauna largely owes its survival to this.

The meadow is freely accessible, but groups exceeding 25–30 persons must use a professional guide provided by the national park administration.

Fauna

The area is primarily valuable for its plant life. Among its protected species are the agárkosbor, narrow‑leaf woolly‑grass, bugás reed, black knapweed, meat‑coloured meadow‑vetch, marsh vetch, splendid vetch and the otter‑grass. Among its animals, the otter is characteristic.