The goal of agri-environmental schemes (AES) and greening programs are protecting and increasing biodiversity in agricultural lands. The evaluation of effectiveness of AES needs further investigations. For the purpose of investigations, species and species groups should be selected which can indicate the effects of changes in landscape use on biodiversity. Bumblebees are good indicators for this purpose. The role of bumblebees in pollination is well studied but in the case of different crops, much less detailed data are available. In 2018, bumblebee assemblages of 44 sites belonged to 8 different agricultural and semi-natural habitat types were studied in the surroundings of Sajószöged, Tiszaújváros and Derecske. This study provides new distribution data of 8 bumblebee species in three 10×10 km UTM cells covering the sampling area. According to our results, the alfalfa and red clover fields and semi-natural grasslands has more species rich and abundant bumblebee assemblages than different crop fields (sunflower, oilseed radish and vegetable morrow) and can help protect bumblebee assemblages of agricultural lands. Based on the collected distribution and abundance data, the role of the bumblebees in pollination of the studied crops should be re-evaluated.

Protecting biodiversity of agricultural lowlands is one of the main topics of European nature conservation. Understanding the relationship and interaction between cultivated and other habitat types is necessary since arable lands cover a significant part of the landscape, but former studies rather focus on the remaining semi-natural sites. Orthoptera assemblages, which are sensitive indicators of habitat structure and conservation value, were studied in a traditional intensively used agricultural area (it has been cultivated for several decades or even 250 years) to assess how arable land and ruderal linear habitats together can preserve insect diversity. Twenty-nine Orthoptera species, including protected Gampsocleis glabra, Acrida ungarica and Celes variabilis were recorded. We identified four assemblages and their character species reflecting intensity of land use. Assemblages of agricultural sites differed from the assemblages of semi-natural habitats used as control group. Revealing their quantitative composition, ratios of lifeforms and ecotypes, character species, and use of Grasshopper Conservation Indexes (GCI) helped to identify habitat types that can effectively preserve natural insect diversity, even under long-term intensive land use regime. Implications for conservation: Considering our findings, the role of linear ruderal habitats and less intensively cultivated arable lands covered by alfalfa and red clover in maintaining of biodiversity is higher than it was formerly assumed. Increasing ratio of these less intensive cultures (at least to 5%, optimally 8–10%) and its connection with each other and linear ruderal habitats may provide temporary habitats and corridors for metapopulations living in mosaic landscape. The local greening programs can help Orthoptera conservation as well through supporting the production of these cultures. Complex landscape- and crop rotation planning, that regard the spatial and temporal distribution, and ratio of agriculture landscape elements may become an effective tool for biodiversity conservation and forming sustainable farming systems.

One of the most important pollinator taxa is Bombus (Hymenoptera, Apidae), the genus of bumble bees, since they are important, often specialized, pollinators of many plants. As a result of climate change, warming winters and changes in landscape structure, the distribution and frequency of Bombus species is constantly changing. To develop appropriate protection strategies, it is essential to monitor them and update the occurrence and threat status of the species. The last review of the distribution of Bombus species in Hungary was completed 20 years ago. Here we present updated distribution maps based on published data from the last 20 years together with unpublished data collected in 2018–2021. Based on the new data, we examine changes in the last two decades. In the case of 9 species further studies should be carried out to confirm the presence of stable populations, while 3 species are recommended for protection by law in Hungary. Seven species showed increasing frequency, B. argillaceus and B. haematurus.

The biodiversity conservation needs recent high-quality data and efficient methods for prioritizing species and sites for conservation. Here we prioritized Orthoptera habitats of the Aggtelek National Park, based on revised and actualized distribution data of 69 Orthoptera species living at 98 sites. The simple ranking and complementary areas methods were used with species richness (S), rarity weighted species richness (SR), and number of rare species (SQ). Additionally, the Grasshopper Conservation Indexes (GCI” and GCIn”) combining European and local rarity and dispersal capacity of the species were also tested. Contrary to simple ranking the complementary areas method represented the whole fauna and significant part of the species-site data records. All the used indices performed similar except the standardized GCIn” which is highly affected by the differences in study intensity of sites. High-priority areas of the Aggtelek National Park were designated in the plateau above Jósvafő and Aggtelek villages and in the small, isolated hill near Jósvafő (Szőlő-hegy) covered with remained mosaic of former vineyards, orchards and hayfields. The combined use of the efficient indices provides additional ranking that allows the best selection of hotspots to support efficient use of limited resources in nature conservation.

Orthoptera fauna and assemblages of natural and semi-natural grasslands of the Hungarian Lowland are well-known, however, little is known about assemblages living in agricultural and anthropogenic habitats such as arable lands, roadsides, hedges, and riverbanks. Due to climate change, intensification of agriculture, and change of habitat use, these habitat types become increasingly important. To collect data on these mainly unknown habitat types, a three-year study was carried out on the Orthoptera fauna and assemblages of the firth region of the Tisza and Sajó rivers. This area was mainly unknown, and our research contributes to increasing knowledge and provides a base for further investigations. In the 40 sampling sites of the studied region, an occurrence of 30 Orthoptera species was recorded based on 2241 sampled individuals. In this study, we provide 540 new distribution data records of orthopterans that means an almost eightfold increase of the known data. Orthoptera assemblages of different agricultural habitat types showed significant differences considering both species richness and composition. Data suggested that non-cultivated habitat patches of dirt-roads, roadsides and stubble fields and even extensively used pastures, hayfields and alfalfa, red clover, and even wheat fields can preserve relatively species-rich Orthoptera assemblages. Contrary weedy sites of these cultivars and intensively used arable lands (maize, sunflower and rape fields) showed extremely low species diversity.

A Hortobágyi Nemzeti Park természeti és kultúrtörténeti értékei révén hazai és európai szinten egyaránt egyedülálló, kiemelt jelentőségű terület, mely Orthoptera faunájának kutatása jelentős múltra tekint vissza. Legkorábbi adataink többsége a XIX-XX. század fordulóján pusztító sáskajárások idejéből származik, majd rövid csendet követően az 1940-es években megjelent Nagy Barnabás „A Hortobágy szöcske- és sáskavilága” című kétkötetes, a terület egyenesszámyú faunájának alapvetésévé vált összefoglaló munkája. Ezt követően a kutatások igen változó lendülettel folytak, ami oda vezetett, hogy a híres puszta egyenesszámyú rovarvilágát mára nagyrészt csak hírből ismerhetjük. Munkánk célja az eddig megjelent (18 szerző 28 publikációja) és a publikálatlan adatok összegyűjtése (67 faj, 62 lelőhely), a faunakutatás prioritásainak meghatározása, valamint a nagy területre kiterjedő intenzív kutatások újraélesztése volt, melyet 2016-ban intenzív kvantitatív vizsgálatokkal indítottunk el. Az újrainduló vizsgálatok lehetőséget adtak a fauna aktuális helyzetének és az elmúlt évtizedekben bekövetkezett változásainak feltárására, a már rendelkezésünkre álló adatok alapján pedig elvégeztük a Hortobágyi Nemzeti Park Orthoptera faunájának természetvédelmi szempontú értékelését is. Az összegyűjtött források revíziója alapján a nemzeti park faunája 62 Orthoptera fajt számlál, melyek közül 6 védett, 11 szórványosan előforduló és 8 ritka a hazai faunában, míg több faj adata megerősítést igényel. Az egyes területek kutatottsága jelentősen eltér, sok a gyengén, a csak régen, vagy az egyáltalán nem vizsgált terület. A területekhez és fajokhoz kapcsolt prioritások meghatározása révén ez az adathiány a lehető leghatékonyabb módon csökkenthető. A 2016-ban újraindított, prioritások mentén haladó kutatásokban több 2,5x2,5 km-es UTM cella került vizsgálatra, mint az azt megelőző 15 évben összesen, és jelentős mértékben emelkedett a kutatott cellák összesített száma is, ami jól mutatja a célzott, jól tervezett mintavételek hatékonyságát. A továbbiakban a prioritásként megjelölt területek mintavételezését, valamint a bizonytalan adatokkal bíró fajok vizsgálatát tervezzük a faimára és együttesekre vonatkozó aktuális, a gyakorlati természetvédelmet segítő adatok összegyűjtése érdekében.