Sustainability Aspects of Oxbow-lakes’ Landscape-character Factors in the
Lower Tisza Valley
Zsófia Molnár
Corvinus University of Budapest, Department of Landscape Protection and Reclamation
Hungary
[email protected]
1. Introduction
The research area is located in Hungary, South-Alföld. Ten oxbow lakes are located in the
region of the Lower Tisza Valley. The states of the area’s oxbow lakes are rather different. There
are protected, highly valuable sites in terms of landscape and nature conservation, yet degraded
areas utilized for economic purposes can also be found. The Lower Tisza Valley in the course of
river-control have been affected by the 84-90th cutoffs, therefore oxbows come into existence in the area.
Four of these oxbows are in the saved side and six of them are located in the active floodplain. The river
control have caused significant changes in the Tisza region.
Today only the variable width active floodplain is able to fill the ecological and water
management role of the previously extensive floodplains. Therefore the protection of oxbow
lakes and active floodplain, (which evolved in the course of the river control), stopping the
degradation of natural values in this area, the protection of wetlands, habitat reclamation and
oxbow lake reclamation are very important tasks. Nearly a quarter of the country's present
territory was a floodplain in era of the conquest. In second half of the 19th century, the river was
controllled to flood drainage of marshes and swamps. As a result, the extent of wetlands has now
declined to under 2% (Bartha 2001). In our days the ecosystem of Tisza river find just a small
area where are suitable conditions for survival. Before the river control the river was
accompanied by a wide flood in Alföld. In the wide floodplain were located a many wetlands,
including meanders, marshes, swamps, marshes and meadows. After the transformation of the
former Tisza floodplain most of the wetlands disappeared or changed substantially. After
causeway-building the flooding can’t spread the former wide floodplain, is a little chance to
oxbow-formation.
2. Results and discussions
The active floodplain area has a high importance in many aspects, it plays an important role
in preserving and subsistence of strictly threaten wetlands. Beside this, as active flood plain it
preserves the rich wildlife of the area before the river regulation. As part of Tisza Valley it plays
an important part in the life of ecological corridor of Tisza (Gallé et al. 1995). But for nowadays
the degradation of the valuable, semi-natural areas can be observed. In addiction recreationfunction and welfare exploitation of the oxbow-lake has been strengthened in 20th century, while
line-fishing and fishing claim were come up, however the quantitative and qualitative protection
of oxbow-lake water were not followed by the development. Long-term sustainability of the
valuable biotops is not resolved. Oxbow lakes offer numerous favourable potentials and are
exceptional natural resources. As wetlands, however, they belong to the most endangered types
of sites. In the early 1990s, more and more signs implied a gradual silting, aging, and at certain
places, even the contamination of oxbow lakes, as well as a degradation of the active
floodplains’ wetlands.
It has been determined the landscape-character factors of oxbow-lakes for the landscape study.
The landscape-character factors of oxbow-lakes: natural capability, landscape structure,
landscape elements, emotional factors, traditions, social factors (Csima 2008). The examination
and landscape study of oxbow lakes can establish the grounds for state assessment, as well as for
planning the interventions of landscape rehabilitation.
The oxbow-lakes’ landscape-character factors in the Lower Tisza Valley:
Natural factor - The most dominant elements:
ƒ the plant coverage: shore-zone, habitats with trees and without trees;
ƒ hydrology - water regime of the Tisza, hydrographical of oxbows;
ƒ flood and active flood (micro) relief.
Figure 1. Natural factor
Landscape structural factor - The most dominant elements:
ƒ on the saved page, along the oxbows, the dominant land use is agriculture, there are also
gardens and urban land use on smaller areas;
ƒ on the floodplain areas forestry is the dominant land use;
ƒ the land use is influenced by nature-protection.
Figure 2. Landscape structural factor
Visual factor - The most dominant elements:
ƒ appearance of the oxbow’s water surface, which depends on the current status of the
oxbow;
ƒ the rate of constructed or artificial elements;
ƒ uniformity of near-natural areas and harmony of landscape elements;
ƒ positive and negative visual elements (for example outstanding fishing docks),
homogeneity and mosaic.
Figure 3. Visual factor
Emotional factor - The most dominant elements:
ƒ
unique landscape values related to the oxbow-lakes
ƒ
remaining elements of a former flood plain land use, which are going to be heritage (and will
emerge the claim to preserve)
ƒ
the isolation in the active floodplain, difficult to access to these areas, because these are
strangulated by the adjacent dissimilar territories.
Figure 4. Emotional factor
3. Conclusions
Nowadays only the variable-width active floodplain is able to fill the ecological and watermanagement role of the previously extensive floodplains. Therefore the protection of oxbow and
active floodplain, which evolved in the course of the river-control, the stoppage the degradation
of natural value in this area, the protection of wetlands, the habitats-reclamation and the oxbowreclamation are very important task. The aim is to stop the degradation of natural assets,
protection of wetlands, rehabilitation of habitat and oxbow and rehabilitation of landscape.
Because of non-indigenous plants ineradicable, high increasing population, the shrub-felling,
forest regeneration in itself can not be a long-lasting solution. Wet, valuable lands can exist only
by continuous handling and usage. For this reason the restoration of former flood plain usage has
been planed. A farming system which is in accordance with active floodplain circumstances, is
capable to maintain the landscape's ecological status and economical utilization.A collection of
landscape-character factors provides the oxbow-rehabilitation background.
The rehabilitation of the oxbow lakes and floodplain habitat should be a concerted action
coordinating environment, conservation and water management sciences. Our primary aim is to
achieve an optimum ecological condition of the owbow lakes and the shore-zones. Then we
must define and plan the treatments and the long-term tasks according to the natural functions, in
order to ensure the conditions for sustainable development. All farming and nature protection
management are dependent on the control of the Tisza River.
Acknowledgements
The research has been made as a part of TÁMOP-4-2.1.B-09/1/KMR- 2010-0005.
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