Long term ecological research has traditions in Hungary motivated either by environmental problems or scientific considerations.

Eutrophication of Lake Balaton, the maintenance of water quality of River Danube, the need for insect pest prediction in agriculture and forestry initiated mainly long-term biodiversity studies, while scientific programmes like IBP and MAB were the stimulators of productivity and ecosystem studies from the seventies.

There are three potential LTER sites which are representative for the zonal biomes of the country and have proper scientific background from earlier research activity.

On Lake Balaton the Institute of Limnology of HAS has been carrying out studies on biodiversity, P and N cycling, effect of toxic metals coordinating the work of other 2-3 institutions with individual links to US LTER site North Temperate Lakes.

The Sikfokut Oak Forest project was launched by the Debrecen University in the frame of MAB aiming at studying primary and secondary productivity, decomposition and element cycling with the participation of about 30 researchers from 6-8 institutions producing a synthesis volume in 1985.

Recently the solving of problems of funding and leadership is necessary for the inclusion of SikfÙk_t Project into the ILTER site network.

The KISKUN LTER programme was developed by Hungarian ecologists with leadership of Institute of Ecology and Botany HAS as a result of former cooperation with US LTER scientists in the frame of the NSF-HAS supported "Development of Hungarian-American collaborative Research Efforts: Biodiversity and Long-Term Ecosystem Research" (1994) project.

The objective of the KISKUN long-term project is to detect and understand the pattern of biodiversity and functioning of ecological systems in the Kisk_ns·g(central part of Hungary) in the transitional forest steppe zone. The basic feature of the territory is the hierarchical mosaic structure of vegetation which can be studied on several spatio-temporal scales. The research plan was developed according to the hierarchy of biological organization taking into consideration the natural patterns and processes as well as human impacts. Among priority areas primary production, vegetation dynamics, food web organization, plant - animal interactions, organic matter and nutrient cycling have to be mentioned.

Under the present unfavourable funding conditions the establishment of a site which can meet the international LTER site demands is a very long process but coordinated research programme consisting of smaller projects can promote the development of the KISKUN LTER site.

The ongoing research activity in the KISKUN programme is as follows:

- "Mechanisms of organization and dynamics of dry grasslands-combining field studies and simulations" sponsored by: OTKA /Hungarian Science Foundation/ 1996-1999 participants: Inst. Ecol & Bot. HAS Inst. Soil. Sci. HAS, Hung. Meteorol. Service

-"US-Hungary grassland comparisons: response of vegetation to environmental constraints and Global Change" sponsored by: NSF-HAS 1996-98 participants: Colo State Univ., Univ. New Mex., Inst. Ecol & Bot. HAS Inst. Soil. Sci. HAS, Hung. Meteorol. Service

-"Foundation of Long-Term Ecological Research in Kiskunsag" sponsored by: Grant of Hung. Ac.Sci 1996-97
participants: Inst. Ecol. & Bot, Inst. of Soil. Sci. HAS

-"Land cover-land use change forced by regional climate change in the Kiskunsag, Hungary"
sponsored by: NATO 1996-98
participants: Rutgers Univ. New Yersey /US/ Inst. Ecol. & Bot., Inst. Soil. Sci. HAS, Univ. Toronto (Canada)

-"Pattern of plant-animal interaction in Bugac Juniper forest, Kinkunsag National Park"
sponsored by: OTKA 1993-96
participants: Budapest Univ., Inst. Ecol. & Bot., Inst. Soil. Sci. Univ. of Agriculture, Gàdàllo

-"The role of herbivory in postfire succession of the Bugac-BÛcsa Juniper forest, Kiskunsag"
sponsored by: OTKA 1995-98
participants: Budapest Univ., Inst. Ecol. & Bot., Inst. Soil. Sci., Kiskunsag Nat. Park

-"Vegetation mapping programme of the Kinskunsag area"
sponsored by: Nature Conserv. Author. 1996-99
participants: Inst. Ecol. & Bot., Kiskuns·g Nat. Park + experts

As a development in LTER activity has to be emphasized the "Research Data Management Workshop" supported by NSF and organized and hosted by the Sevilleta LTER site in New Mexico.

With the participation of US LTER scientists /J. Brunt, J. Gosz,W.K.,Michener, J. Briggs, S. Stafford, J. Porter, R. Notrott/ as well as five Hungarian /F. Horvath, F. Samu, L. Peregovits, L. Lokos, T. Szep/ and two Czech /J. Hejzlar, P. Smilauer/ researchers.

The aim of the meeting was to overview, understand, discuss and disseminate the ecological data management practices and questions in each of the participating countries.

The topics on the schedule of the workshop were:

- the metadata concepts, comparison and synthesis
- information management, the role and potential of WWW
- practice and case studies on data set and project documentation
- educational questions.