Rába valley

The Site follows a section of the River Rába from the Austrian border downstream to Győr-Moson-Sopron County. In this section, the river meanders freely and yearly floods maintain the natural dynamic of oxbows, shifting riverbeds and typical riverside vegetation. The new boundaries of the Ramsar Site follow recently changed property boundaries and the shoreline of the water body more accurately. Typical habitat types are floodplain meadows, softwood riparian forests, willow bushes and hardwood riverside forests. The banks support nesting birds such as the European bee-eater Merops apiaster, kingfisher Alcedo atthis and sand martin Riparia riparia. The meandering sections of the Rába, the oxbows and the abandoned man-made pits play an important role in the reproduction of fish species and aquatic insects and provide important habitats for their survival during summer droughts. The Site supports high percentages of the Hungarian populations of threatened species such as the Ukrainian brook lamprey (Eudontomyzon mariae) and Zingel zingel. The Site plays an important role in flood control, and in maintaining relatively high groundwater levels which enhance the productivity of surrounding agricultural land. Uncontrolled tourism, fishing activities, intensive forestry, and the discharge of treated sewage water pollution inflow from upstream Austria all have a negative impact. The Rába River Basin Management Plan has recently been finalized and will be implemented with support of EU funds.

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