Management of Lake FertőUniversity of DebrecenUniversity of Debrecen

Centre for Environmental Management and Centre for Environmental Management and PolicyPolicy

7. Lakepromo Meeting & Seminar April 11-13, 2007 - Aalborg, Denmark

Contributors

Dr. Zoltan KaracsonyiAndras MagyaricsMiklos PannonhalmiLaszlo SutheoDr. Istvan MarkusDr. Laszlo StundlDr. Laszlo KarpatiDr. Kurt Kirchberger Jozsef JanakDr. Balazs Somogyi

Dr. Arpad BerczikDr. Maria DinkaDr. Szabolcs GimesiAndras VissiJudit KaracsonyiAndras IbranyiTunde SzaboGabor ReischlErnst Praunseis Laszlo Hargitai

HUNGARIAN WORKSHOP

Management of Lake Fertő

University of Debrecen Centre for Environmental

Management and Policy

1. General characteristics2. Hydrology and water management3. Fish population and fishery4. Nature protection and reed management5. Agriculture of Lake Fertő area6. Lake Fertő: World Heritage and tourism7. Austrian-Hungarian Cross-border Co-

operation8. Regional development and lake management

Location of Lake FertőLake Fertő is situated in North-west of Hungary at the Hungarian-Austrian border•It has been part of the „iron-curtain” belt – limited accessibility•Zero development until 1989 – disadvantage, advantage

University of Debrecen Centre for Environmental

Management and Policy

1. 1. General characteristicsGeneral characteristics

General characteristics- the lake is 20 000 years old steppe lake (western steppe lake of Eurasia)

- largest salt lake of Europe

- shallow lake: average depth is under 1 m, deepest point is 180 cm

- high water level fluctuation, last date of drying out was between 1865-1871

- main characteristic of the lake is reed covered areas and marshes

University of Debrecen Centre for Environmental

Management and Policy

General characteristicsChanges in reed covered areas:

1872 1901 1957

1967 1987

1999

University of Debrecen Centre for Environmental

Management and Policy

General characteristics- Catchment area: 1120 km2

- Water surface of the Hungarian part is 75 km2

- Water surface of the Austrian part is 240 km2

- almost all of the Hungarian part is covered

with reed (180 km2: 117 Austria, 63 Hungary)

-23-24 permanent fish species: catfish, pike,

carp, pikeperch

  Catchment area (km2)

Lake area (km2)

Length (km)

Average width (km)

Depth (m)

Cubic capacity (million

m3)

Length of shoreline

(km)

Reed (km2)

Lake Fertő (Hungarian part) 1120 (175) 315 (75) 36 (7) 8,2 (10) 1 (0,8) 39 (26) 92 (25) 180 (63)

University of Debrecen Centre for Environmental

Management and Policy

General characteristicsClimate in the area:

- 3 different effects:

Mediterranean effect from the south

oceanic climate from the west

continental climate from the east

- maximum of precipitation: July

minimum of precipitation: February

- average precipitation is 650 mm, but hardly 400 mm in dry years

- water temperature is fluctuating: 25-30 oC

- the lake is featured by high pH values (8<)

- Significant quantity of magnesium, sodium, chloride and sulphate

- Significant organic contents of natural origin (reed)

- Relatively poor in nutrients available for plants (excluding phosphorous)

University of Debrecen Centre for Environmental

Management and Policy