Mapping direct human impact on the topography of Hungary

Abstract

Summary. Similarly to other European countries, human impacts of various types are discernible in all regions of Hungary. Restricting the infl uence of human activities to direct transformation of topographic conditions, primary and secondary landforms created, the main categories of symbols included in the legend of an overview map refer to water management (fl ood-control dykes, dams and canals); to housing development, industry and transportation (landfi lls, sealed, levelled and ter-raced surfaces; motorway/railway embankments and cuts), to agriculture (terraces, hollow roads) as well as to other human activities with geomorphic impact (military and sports facilities). Th e map symbols are designed to provide some indication of the relative extent of human action and the size of anthropogenic landforms. Usually two (large or small scale impact) or three (large, medium or small scale) relative size categories are applied. Th e data base for the map is processed at 1:500,000 scale, allowing some reduction in scale for fi nal publication in an international ”Atlas of Human mpact I on Topography” under preparation by members of the IAG Working Group ”Human Impact on the Landscape”, created in 2005.Zusammenfassung.