The first version of the map of the Hungarian vegetation-based landscape regions were prepared at the scale of 1 : 200,000 (1 km or higher resolution). The primary goal of the map was to provide an exact background for the presentation and evaluation of the data of theMÉTA database. Secondly, we intended to give an up-to-date and detailed vegetation-based division of Hungary with a comprehensive nomenclature of the regions. Regions were primar- ily defined on the basis of their present zonal vegetation, or their dominant extrazonal or edaphic vegetation. Where this was not possible, abiotic factors that influence the potential vegetation, the flora were taken into consideration, thus, political and economical factors were ignored. All region borders were defined by local expert botanists, mainly based on their field knowledge. The map differs in many features from the currently used, country- wide, flora- or geography-based divisions in many features. We consider our map to be temporary (i.e. a work map), and we plan to refine and improve it after 5 years of testing.

Researchers of the MÉTA program have a strong demand to perform flexible and effective queries for further analyses of the database. Structured query language was applied and a web-based application was developed to facilitate understanding of database structure and content in detail, to help develop, store and annotate of SQL query statements, to help reuse of them, to facilitate save and download resulted data sets to the authorised users through the internet. A brief description of the MÉTA SQL Expert Interface and Access Service is given here, and several commented query examples demonstrate the easy and effective usage of the service.

The mosaic of open sandy grasslands and poplar-juniper thickets – the focal habitat of the KISKUN LTER – is the second most invaded habitat (after the riverine shrublands and woodlands) in Hungary according to the MÉTA-database. The most dangerous invasive species in this habitat are Robinia pseudo-acacia, Asclepias syriaca, Solidago gigantea, S. canadensis, Ailanthus altissima, and Elaeagnus angustifolia

A természetes és természetközeli területek arányának drasztikus csökkenésével egyre fontosabbá válik megmaradt élőhelyeink minél pontosabb, tudományos igényű, de gyakorlati célokra is felhasználható dokumentálása, vegetációjuk feltérképezése. A nagy területekre kiterjedő, megfelelő minőségű, egységes felméréshez szükség van egy, a terület adottságaihoz igazított, jól kidolgozott, terepen jól használható, a fél-természetes élőhelyeket is magába foglaló, jól dokumentált vegetáció- vagy élőhely-osztályozásra. Ilyen rendszereket már többfelé alkalmaznak sikeresen a világon, a kialakításukkor alkalmazott szempontok dokumentálása azonban ezidáig elmaradt.

Cikkünkben egy olyan élőhely-osztályozási rendszert és annak kialakítási lépéseit mutatjuk be, amely többszörösen sikeresen vizsgázott nagy területek növényzetének felmérésekor. A rendszer fő jellemzője, hogy szakmai alapú (fitoszociológia) és gyakorlati természetvédelmi felhasználásra alkalmas, a terepi élőhely-felismerést messzemenően segíti és a térképezést közvetlen támogatja. A kategóriák és az élőhely-leírások a termőhelyi adottságokat, a fiziognómiát és a fajkészletet egyaránt figyelembe veszik. A minden egyes élőhelytípus esetén megadott „definíció”, „altípusok” és „nem ide tartozó típusok” részletes körülírása elősegíti az élőhelytípusok pontos terepi felismerését és dokumentálását. A rendszer egyedi jellegzetessége, hogy az osztályozás nem hierarchikus, ugyanakkor kétdimenziós: egyik dimenzió az élőhelytípus, a másik a természetesség alapú élőhelyminőség. A rendszert több lépcsőben fejlesztettük, és már kétszer, több ezer terepnapon át teszteltük hagyományos folt-térképezésre és vegetációs adatbázis építésre is.

Regeneration potential is regarded as a kind of functional indicator, which is applied for the assessment of the habitat quality and a kind of nature conservation value. In this context “quality” does not refer to the actual state but possibilities for the future. During the MÉTA project, regeneration potential have been recorded on the scale of the quadrates (35 km2, 2,813 quadrates in Hungary), for each habitat of the quadrate (ignoring some featureless habitats). We have estimated three different kinds of regeneration potential: on spot, on the place of neighbours and on old-fields open water, bare rock. The categories used were: good regeneration ability, moderate, low, or there is no place for regeneration. Values of regeneration potential on spot are usually rather high. Habitats with the highest regeneration potential are the aquatic ones, shrub vegetation, halophytic vegetation, marshes, grasslands with woodland origin, sand poplar-juniper woodlands, and the poorest is the regeneration potential of the forest steppe woodlands. Lower are the values of the regeneration potential of each vegetation type on the place of the neighbours. Relatively easily spread onto the neighbouring vegetation patches the halophytic habitats, poplar-juniper woodlands, the secondary shrub vegetation, some aquatic habitats, certain riverine vegetation types and marshes. Moderate or lower is this value of this regeneration potential category for the xeric highland woodlands, rocky habitats, xeric and mesic lowland woodlands, grasslands with woodland origin and some fen vegetation types. In spite of the rather low values calculated for the whole country, the following habitats regenerate relatively well on old-fields, open water or rock surfaces, or in abandoned vineyards: the dry secondary shrub vegetation, poplar-juniper woodlands, Scots pine woodlands, halophytic habitats, some aquatic habitats and marshes. Most habitats regenerate poorly, for example, the zonal woodlands. Never or barely regenerate on old-fields: some fen habitats, the steppe oak woodlands, mesic lowland woodlands, some rock habitats, acidophilous woodlands, the zonal woodlands, the rock and sand coniferous woodlands.
When comparing the values of regeneration potential on spot, on the place of the neighbours and on old-fields, most striking is the fact that the least habitats have moderate 0236–6495/$ 20.00 © 2008 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest or high regeneration ability in case of the third kind of regeneration potential, and regeneration ability on adjacent vegetation patch represent a transitional state from this aspect. Some of the edaphic habitats are quite mobile (e.g. halophytic, marsh or certain fen habitats), while others migrate only rarely (rock or other fen vegetation types). Some habitats though regenerate admirably on spot, yet never invade new areas; for instance, rock vegetation, acidophilous woodlands, grasslands with woodland origin. Others has almost the same regeneration potential values on spot as on the place of the neighbours, e.g. some steppe woodlands and shrub habitats on their own clearings, or some habitats of secondary origin. Certain rock habitats, some fen and riverine vegetation types and some of the close woodlands regenerate well on spot, but almost never on old-fields. There are some habitats, which has high regeneration potential on the place of the neighbours, but has low values for the old-fields. Most of them are closed woodlands, shrub and certain fen habitats. According to our expectations, the experience gained during the MÉTA mapping will give an impulse to the study on regeneration potential.

Due to the global land use and climate change, endangerment of natural vegetation is increasing. That is why the threatening factors were documented in details during the MÉTA mapping. We have documented the impacts of water management, land use (management of woodlands and grasslands), the invasive species, urbanisation, habitat fragmentation and the neighbourhood, as well. In the present article (1) we evaluate the actual state of the habitats by the 28 threat types documented during the MÉTA mapping; (2) we introduce 12 newly developed indicators, which were applied for the semi-quantitative comparison of the overall degree of endangerment of the Hungarian habitats. Based on the summarisation of our results the most seriously endangered habitats in Hungary are as follows: sand and loess steppe oak woodlands (M2, M4, L2x), tussock sedge communities (B4), extensive orchards (P7), closed lowland oak woodlands (L5, L6), water- fringing and fen tall herb communities (D5), wooded pastures (P45), vegetation of loess cliffs (I2), rich fens and Molinia meadows (D1, D2), Cynosurion grasslands and Nardus swards (E34), swamp woodlands (J2), xero-mesophilous grasslands (H4) and salt steppe oak woodlands (M3). The least endangered types are the rocky habitats (I4, LY3, H1, G2, M7), certain halophytic (F1a, F5, F1b, F2, B6) and aquatic habitats (A23, A3a, A1), open acidophilous woodlands (L4b), dry shrub vegetation with Crataegus and Prunus spinosa (P2b) and the beech woodlands (K5).