Boronka Landscape Protection Area

The past of Boronka

After the First World War, the Hunyadi family established a small industrial railway, a fish pond system, and introduced planned forestry in the area. In the survival of the mostly forest-covered landscape protection area criss-crossed by streams and spotted with fishponds it was an important factor that in 1944 the Germans set up a triple mine barrier in the area, which could only be neutralised after the war by de-mining troops organised continuously until 1956. Inside the woodland area, the former homesteads of Cserfekvés, Virágospuszta, Szőkepuszta, Háromház, Kopárpuszta and Kakpuszta are now in the process of revival.

Flora of the landscape protection area

The Landscape Protection Area is located in the South-Transdanubian flora region, and within that, in the sandy area of the flora district of Inner-Somogy. Regarding its relief, it is an almost flat land, yet its flora is extremely varied. This is because the elevation difference of just a few metres can result in the presence of a wide variety of plant communities, from marshes to dry sandy grasslands, which is explained by the specific hydrological conditions of sandy soils. In the stagnant water depressions there are marshes, willow and alder bogs, while the areas with moving water are lined with alder groves and, in places, oak-ash-elm gallery forests. On moist soils, there are oak-hornbeam woodlands, interspersed with isolated beech woods. The highest, driest areas are covered with Turkey oak, while the clearings in these areas have given way to dry sandy grasslands, mainly pastures. The most characteristic landscape features of the protected area are the chains of fishponds created by the damming of watercourses, bordered by lush forests. Nearly 50 protected plant species have been identified in the area. Most notable of these, among aquatic plants of stagnant waters, are water violet and white water lily. In the undergrowth of the alder bogs, there is an occasional abundance of spring snowflake, in the moist oak-hornbeam forests and in the planted Scots pine woods hard shield fern and soft shield fern, while in the fringes of marshy meadows lemon day-lily, in Turkey oak woods dog’s tooth violet.
The beech populations of the Landscape Protection Area have formed on a non-calcareous sandy bedrock and brown forest soil. Submontane beech forests being typically zonal between 600-800 m a.s.l. descend as low as to 120 m on the sandy landscape of Inner-Somogy. The reason for this phenomenon is that in the western part of Inner Somogy, the sandy layer is considerably thinned, forming so-called 'sand shroud', with a loess and clay based water sealing layer underneath, which provides very favourable hydrological conditions. As many as 15 protected plant species have been found in the beech forests so far, but the sand beech community is of even greater natural value, and can be considered a relic of a former era of flora and vegetation.

Fauna

Habitats in the moist environment provide suitable living conditions for many amphibians and reptiles. Among amphibians, (all 15 species occurring in Hungary are protected), 12 can be observed in the area, including the nocturnal common spaedfoot and the long-legged moor frog the males of which turn bright blue at the time of mating. Living mostly in shallow waters, the common newt is also found in pools in springtime. Reptiles include the pond terrapin, which inhabits the stagnant waters and marshes of the area, and sand lizard, of which there is a red-backed variety found in the area. The grass snake is widespread, but the smooth snake is less common, its range being more restricted to the hills and mountains, and being less common in the plains. A black variety of the adder, specific to this area, can also found here. This varied habitat provides undisturbed breeding conditions for many rare and endangered species of birds. The breeding populations of white-tailed eagles and black storks are of extreme importance. The globally threatened ferruginous duck has a quite big population, while the highly protected corncrake and the marsh crake stay for the nesting season only in the wetter years. The golden jackal has appeared in recent decades, now forming a stable breeding population. It is also here that perhaps the most viable otter population of Transdanubia is found.

Tourism

The most popular ways to explore the area are by hiking along the National Blue Trail and travelling on the former industrial railway line starting from Mesztegnyő. The "Tőzike e-trail", starts from the Kakpuszta end of the forest railway, and can be followed with the help of a guide leaflet downloadable from www.ddnp.hu.

Size of the protected area: 8232.3 ha
Strictly protected: 499 ha