VEGETATION OF THE RIVER TUR PROTECTED AREA – PRESENTATION, NATURALNESS AND THREATENING FACTORS

The paper presents the results of the surveying of the vegetation in the River Tur Protected Area. We aimed to explore all the vegetation types, to assess the naturalness and conservation values of the habitats. We also paid attention to identify those factors that are threatening the integrity of the plant communities. The identified 34 vegetation communities form a colorful mosaic, the spatial heterogeneity being the essential characteristics of the area. Since the water supply is the major influencing factor, a wide vegetation spectrum had formed along the soil humidity gradient: from floating or rooted waterweed associations, through marshes and meadows, to shrubs and woods. The most threatening factors that affect the natural vegetation are the hydrological alterations, the spread of some invasive species and the human activities that are continuously changing the landscape: intensive agriculture, grazing the livestock and mowing. Although the repeated man-made disturbances have altered the majority of the plant communities, several known factors suggest the potential recovery of them through appropriate management or natural regeneration.