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Aggtelek National Park is situated in the noth-eastern part of Hungary. The caves of the Aggtelek Karst were declared as protected areas in the 1950s, then in 1978 the protected area was enlarged and declared as the Aggtelek Protected Landsape Area. In 1979 it was officially announced to be a biosphere reserve by the Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO. In 1985 APLA became a national park with a directorate located in Jósvafő. This higher level of protection means that ANP has power as a legal authority to protect natural values, lead and organize scientific projects, and educate people about the natural values of the area through tourism and environmental education programs.

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The national park area has a humid-continental climate, the area north of the Jósva Valley receives the most precipitation which is usually around 630 mm per year while the southern part of the park is drier. The winter is usually very long and this area is one of the coldest parts of Hungary with a mean annual temperature of 9.1 °C.

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The eastern part of the ANP is a typical uncovered karst with mostly Triassic age shallow limestone that is only partly covered with a thin topsoil layer. The southern part is a so called covered karst which means that the basement marine limestone is situated deeper and covered with a thick sedimentary rock layer. The soil profiles are thicker than 40 cm and usually consist of less erodable fossil red earth, while those thinner than 40 cm are of redzinas.

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The most important watercourse is the Jósva Stream carrying the water of karst springs to the Bódva River. The most important and biggest caves of the area are also connected to the hydrological system of the Jósva Stream. These caves, namely the Baradla Cave, Béke Cave, Szabadság Cave, Vass Imre Cave and Kossuth Cave are widely visited not only ba professionals but also tourists. Cave tourism brings a significant income for the national park as well as local residents.

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Because the area of the ANP is part of the Gömör-Torna Karst the fauna and flora have several mountain and Carpathian elements. During cooler years species of higher regions of the Carparthian Mountains can move to lower zones and in the opposite direction in drier years, thus the protection of the Aggtelek Karst helps in preserving these dynamic changes, Furthermore, because of the special karstic surface of the area, there are many places with special microclimates serving as habitats for a diverse species composition.

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Nagyoldal Hill is one of the most valuable areas of the ANP from the point of view of diversity of habitats and species, resulting in its status as a Biosphere Reserve core area. Further remarkaable habitats are the Esztramos Hill and the Alsóhegy Plateau because of their rocky grassland-steppe complexes. Alsóhegy is also the habitat of Turna golden drop (Onosma tornense), an IUCN Red list endangered species.

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The areas of the Aggtelek National Park and Slovak Karst National Park belong to the same geographical region called Gömör-Torna Karst, which is protected on 55 km of the border between Hungary and Slovakia. Since both ANP and SKNP are Biosphere Reseves, this comprises more than 50,000 ha. Because of the underground treasures of the region, both the ANP and SKNP were declared a World Natural Heritage Site by the World Heritage Comottee of UNESCO on 6th December 1995 as a result of a joint nomination.

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Areas farther from villages as well as roads with heavy traffic usually have more natural values and the protection and management of them are much easier. Long term, continuously renewed management plans based on the results of up-to-date scientific researches are essential for carrying out projects propery and effectively. Cooperation with civil organizations working in the field of environmental protection and education is essential. Furthermore, landowners should be encoured to use traditional and sustainable agricultural methods and land management..

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http://www.anp.hu
http://anp.nemzetipark.gov.hu/