Baláta Lake Nature Reserve and Forest Reserve

In 2008 Baláta Lake Nature Reserve was included in the inventory of Hungary’s forest reserves, with a result that further valuable natural habitats were brought under protection. Even until today, Baláta Lake has remained an area with no drainage, its water supply being ensured by rainfall and ground water. Its greatest value is that it is home to a wide range of bog plant associations, from floating aquatic plants to bog forests, and is a habitat for several nationally rare plant and animal species. The most notable plants of the bog are the insectivorous waterwheel plant and the strictly protected Parnassus-leaved water plantain. Other important botanical values are the marsh cinquefoil, the bog bean, the peat moss and the Carpathian crocus. Among the rich fauna of the protected area, the presence of the black variety of the adder, the nesting of the black stork, the ferruginous duck, the white-tailed eagle and the western marsh harrier, and the occurrence of the short-tailed field vole and the otter are worthy of note. The area can be reached by the forest railway from Kaszó or on foot from the Kaszó railway station along a marked footpath. A bird-watching tower in the protected natural area provides a view of the marsh basin.
Declared to be protected: 505510/1941.I.b.3.
Declared to be a forest reserve: 19/2008 (VIII.22.) KvVM decree
Size of the protected area: 342 ha