Mártély Landscape Protection Area lies on the left side of river Tisza about 30 km from the city of Szeged covering more than 2000 hectares. The aquatic wildlife of the floodplain formed by Tisza and the affluent rivers survived only in a few patches to date. Nowadays the landscape protection area maintains the atmosphere of the former landscape varied with great water covers, marshlands, meadows and smaller or greater forest patches.
Current condition of the landscape has been shaped with river regulations in the 19th century. However it was declared protected only in 1971 to conserve the unique wildlife of the clay pit system running parallel with the dykes and the landscape that was characteristic on great areas of Alföld. Mártély Landscape Protection Area can be divided into several large areas. Locations called Ányás and Korhány separated by Mártély backwater lie in the North while the areas of Kutyafenék and Körtvélyes (encompassed by Körtvélyes backwater) are southward. Barci-meadow is located in the southern part of the landscape protection area.
Dominant forming element of the landscape is river Tisza even nowadays. Seasonal water covers leave significant amount of organic alluvium here which led to the development of rich flora. Marshland habitats with herbaceous vegetation evolve in deep basins while willow scrubs, willow-poplar gallery forests and hard wood gallery forests grow on higher, steep locations among natural conditions. However, due to human land use, not only the forces of nature prevail here either. As a result of grazing great open meadows can be found also in the landscape protection area with nearly homogenous grey poplar, pedunculate oak forests and poplar plantations as consequences of plantation forestry.
The area is mostly characterised by the classic avifauna of floodplain forests. Among typical Woodpecker species of Hungarian woodland habitats Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), European Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis), Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius) and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor) can appear in the area. Dense forests provide perfect breeding habitat for raptors as well. White-tailed Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla) is a valuable breeding species of the area, while Black Kite (Milvus migrans) is breeding here in huge numbers on a national scale. Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) and colonial breeder Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) prefer dense forests as breeding ground as well. The two backwaters offer ideal feeding grounds for different herons, egrets and ducks, and even Corncrake (Crex crex) can appear on Barci-meadow in years of floods.