Dél-Mezőföld Tájvédelmi Körzet

The area of the South Great Plain Landscape Protection Area is 7,546.5 hectares, of which 964.7 hectares are strictly protected. The landscape protection area is under the administration of the Danube–Drava National Park Directorate.

Location

The protected area, consisting of 12 mosaics and covering 7,546 hectares, lies on the border of Fejér and Tolna counties, within the municipal boundaries of Alsószentiván, Bikács, Bölcske, Cece, Dunaföldvár, Medina, Nagydorog, Németkér, Paks, Szedres, Tengelic and Vajta. It was created in 1999 by merging several protected and planned protected areas.

Characteristics

The natural values and morphological features of the region are determined by a thick loess layer accumulated during the Ice Age. Over millennia, the compacted, often lithified dust has formed distinctive surface forms. In the south, this area is replaced by sand soil left as the former Danube and Sárvíz riverbeds. In the Tengelic sand region and the Paksi Ürge field, sand‑dune landscapes similar to those of the Little Cumania have developed. Because of a climate similar to the Great Plain and the mentioned soil structure, South Great Plain is water‑poor. The purpose of the protection declaration is to preserve the loess formations that define the unique character of the plain landscape, the aeolian sand areas formed in the former Sárvíz riverbed, and the vegetation and fauna rich in species that have developed on them, as well as to protect the scenic and cultural‑historical values.

The landscape protection area includes: the Látóhegy in Németkér, the colorful saffron field in Szedres, the Ökör Hill in Bikács and the Láprét in Kistápé.

Ökör Hill in Bikács has been protected since 1987. It rises only about one and a half hundred meters, but it still stands out among the other dunes. The primary reason for its protection is the occurrence of black limestone.

The small sand dune's soil recalls the former marshes. The Malom stream, turned into a flowing and fishing pond between the dunes, has altered the area's microclimate. In the permanently water‑logged parts peat formation has begun, where the survival of Ice Age species is ensured, such as the protected Zerbegoglár. The soil behind the embankment is home to two rare orchid species: the mosquito‑legged bibircsvirág and the flesh‑coloured ujjaskosbor.

On and around Látó Hill near Németkér, the wind carried sand out of the abandoned channel of the Ancient Red Water, which humans tried to bind with afforestation. Látó Hill itself is a 152‑metre‑high sand dune. Mostly sand‑hill pastures and foot‑level sand flats stretch there. The wet sand flats between the dunes are vegetated by the flesh‑coloured ujjaskosbor and the marshy nőszőfű. In the steeper mine walls, sandpipers, lapwings and meadow pipits nest.

In the colourful saffron area of Szederes, the eponymous colourful saffron and the spring hawthorn are protected. The grazing livestock here do not consume these two plants, because their leaves are poisonous.

Flora and Fauna

The area's natural plant associations are sand steppes, sand‑hill pastures, drying sand flats and loess‑steppe patches, among which pearl‑oak woods, hornbeam‑oak woods and alder‑riverine woods intermix. Almost every subarea has its own outstanding botanical and natural value. Only ten orchid species occur, and in places the corn‑starling and the Siberian night‑shade are abundant. The highly protected tátorján and the rare Ice Age remnant European Zerbegoglár are found in significant numbers. Our domestic saffron, the colourful saffron, also deserves mention.

Regarding the fauna, South Mezőföld is a very important habitat for many protected and strictly protected bird and bat species. The rare meadow birds of the grasslands are the meadow pipit and the reed bunting, while on the sand dunes sandpipers hunt for insects. One of the region’s best‑known rodents is the also protected ground squirrel. Thanks to the recent settlement program, its population has significantly strengthened. Its natural enemies include predatory birds nesting in the nature reserve, among which the rare saker falcon stands out. The watercourses and lakes provide habitat for amphibians and reed‑loving songbirds, but here the brown meadow viper also finds a breeding site and the strictly protected otter finds hunting grounds.