Using Questionnaire Surveys and Occupancy Modelling to Identify Conservation Priorities for the Critically Endangered Balkan Lynx Lynx Lynx Balcanicus

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Using Questionnaire Surveys and Occupancy Modelling to Identify Conservation Priorities for the Critically Endangered Balkan Lynx Lynx Lynx Balcanicus Using questionnaire surveys and occupancy modelling to identify conservation priorities for the Critically Endangered Balkan lynx Lynx lynx balcanicus D IME M ELOVSKI,MANUELA VON A RX,VASKO A VUKATOV C HRISTINE B REITENMOSER-WÜRSTEN,MARINA Đ UROVIĆ ,RAFET E LEZI O LIVIER G IMENEZ,BLEDI H OXHA,SLAVCHO H RISTOVSKI,GJORGJE I VANOV A LEXANDROS A. KARAMANLIDIS,TABEA L ANZ,KUJTIM M ERSINI A LEKSANDAR P EROVIĆ ,AZEM R AMADANI,BARDH S ANAJA,PARSIM S ANAJA G ABRIEL S CHWADERER,ANNETTE S PANGENBERG,ALEKSANDAR S TOJANOV A LEKSANDËR T RAJÇE and U RS B REITENMOSER Abstract With an estimated , adult individuals remain- poaching of lynx, and damage to livestock by lynx. ing, the Critically Endangered Balkan lynx Lynx lynx balca- Poaching was intense throughout the potential range of nicus is one of the rarest, most threatened and least-studied the subspecies, apparently having affected –% of the large carnivores. To identify priority conservation areas and total estimated extant population. Damage to livestock actions for the subspecies, during – we conducted was recorded only in relation to sheep, mainly in the south- , questionnaire surveys throughout the potential range ern part of the lynx’s potential range. Occupancy modelling of the Balkan lynx to () evaluate human–lynx interactions indicated grid cells with high probability of site use, and identify potential threats, and () determine the prob- which was affected mainly by increased terrain ruggedness ability of site use in grid cells through occupancy mod- and reduced forest cover. Based on the combined results of elling. Human–lynx interactions were related mainly to our study we identified five priority areas for conservation, as well as in situ habitat protection, community participa- tion in the conservation of the subspecies, and the improve- DIME MELOVSKI* (Corresponding author), VASKO AVUKATOV,SLAVCHO ment and implementation of the existing legal framework as Hristovski†,GJORGJE IVANOV and ALEKSANDAR STOJANOV Macedonian Ecological Society, Skopje, Macedonia. E-mail [email protected] the priority conservation actions for the Balkan lynx. MANUELA VON ARX,CHRISTINE BREITENMOSER-WÜRSTEN,TABEA LANZ and URS Keywords Balkan lynx, conservation, Critically Endan- BREITENMOSER‡ KORA, Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management, Bern, Switzerland gered subspecies, distribution range, local ecological knowl- edge, occupancy modelling, questionnaire surveys MARINA ĐUROVIĆ Public Enterprise for National Parks of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro The data and R code for the analyses are available at RAFET ELEZI and AZEM RAMADANI Finch, Prizren, Kosovo https://github.com/oliviergimenez/occ_balkanlynx OLIVIER GIMENEZ Centre d’Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, CNRS, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France BLEDI HOXHA,KUJTIM MERSINI and ALEKSANDËR TRAJÇE Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania, Tirana, Albania Introduction ALEXANDROS A. KARAMANLIDIS Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway n the midst of a global biodiversity crisis (Butchart et al., ALEKSANDAR PEROVIĆ Centre for Protection and Research of Birds, Podgorica, I ) Europe has been witnessing a resurgence in its Montenegro wildlife, with several species showing signs of population re- BARDH SANAJA and PARSIM SANAJA Environmentally Responsible Action Group, covery (Deinet et al., ). Because of the charismatic na- Peja, Kosovo ture of large carnivores, and the challenges associated with GABRIEL SCHWADERER and ANNETTE SPANGENBERG EuroNatur Foundation, effectively managing and protecting them, their recovery Radolfzell, Germany has received considerable public attention in Europe *Also at: Faculty of Forest Sciences, Wildlife Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany (Chapron et al., ). Large carnivores have been recover- †Also at: Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ss. ing across the continent, including the Balkan Peninsula Cyrill and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia (Karamanlidis et al., ; Ivanov et al., ); however, an ‡Also at: Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland exception to this positive development is the Critically Received December . Revision requested March . Endangered Balkan lynx Lynx lynx balcanicus (Melovski Accepted March . et al., ). Oryx, Page 1 of 9 © 2018 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605318000492 2 D. Melovski et al. The Balkan lynx was described in the th century (Lahoz‐Monfort et al., ). Therefore, site-occupancy (Bureš, ) but it was not until the early st century models have been developed specifically to distinguish be- that genetic evidence indicated its taxonomic status as a sub- tween non-detection and absence by modelling the imperfect, species of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx (Breitenmoser- possibly heterogeneous observation process (MacKenzie, Würsten & Obexer-Ruff, ; Gugolz et al., ). ). This modelling framework has been used successfully Although the phylogenetic relationship of the Balkan lynx to analyse data from multiple interviewees reporting the de- to other subspecies of Eurasian lynx is still unclear, its mor- tection or non-detection of large carnivores and to infer their phological distinctiveness and isolation from the nearest distribution, accounting for imperfect detection (e.g. Petracca lynx subspecies in the Carpathian Mountains (Mirić, ) et al., ; Taubmann et al., ). justifies its recognition as a distinct evolutionary significant The main aims of this study were to use a questionnaire unit for conservation (Vogler & Desalle, ). survey to () evaluate human–lynx interactions to identify Historically, the Balkan lynx suffered a fate similar to that potential threats to the survival of the Balkan lynx, and of most other large carnivores in Europe, where increased () determine the probability of site use. The results are used habitat alteration and persecution led to its extermination to identify research and conservation priorities to safeguard from large parts of the continent (Breitenmoser, ). the survival of this subspecies. Following World War II legal and administrative actions re- sulted in the partial recovery of the subspecies; in the population was estimated to comprise individuals, lo- Study area cated mainly in the south-west of the Balkan Peninsula (Mirić, ). However, political unrest in the region at the The study was conducted in presumed distribution areas turn of the century combined with habitat deterioration and of the Balkan lynx (von Arx et al., ; Kaczensky et al., poaching are believed to have led to a sharp population de- a,b), including areas that were considered by Grubač cline and range constriction, which has brought the Balkan (, ) to be potentially within the subspecies’ lynx to the brink of extinction (Melovski, ): it is esti- range. We also included some localities outside the pre- mated that there are , adult individuals remaining in sumed area of distribution, for which circumstantial evi- the wild, hence the subspecies’ categorization as Critically dence indicated the presence of the subspecies (Grubač, Endangered on the IUCN Red List (Melovski et al., ). ). Thus, the study area comprised , km of pre- The Balkan lynx is legally protected in Albania, Kosovo (re- dominantly mountainous terrain in Albania, Kosovo, ferred to according to U.N. Security Council Resolution Macedonia and Montenegro (Fig. ). The mean altitude of ) and Macedonia (for reasons of neutrality and brevity the villages where questionnaire surveys were carried out the name Macedonia is used for the country with the con- was , m and the mean human population density was stitutional name Republic of Macedonia, admitted to the . people per km (Kosovo Agency of Statistics, ; UN under the provisional designation ‘the former Institute of Statistics, Albania, ; Statistical Office of Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’), and a compensation sys- Montenegro, ; State Statistical Office, Macedonia, tem for damage to livestock by lynx has been established in ). The vegetation in the study area is predominantly for- Macedonia. Effective conservation of biodiversity requires est, with beech Fagus sylvatica, fir Abies borisii-regis and detailed, quantitative scientific information, which for various types of oak Quercus spp. The region is character- many wildlife populations is not available (Gilchrist et al., ized by high-mountain pastures, river valleys and rural an- ). There has therefore been increasing consensus thropogenic landscapes. among conservationists that alternative sources of informa- tion are necessary for protecting nature and that local eco- logical knowledge can provide important information on Methods the status of wildlife populations and should be integrated in environmental management (Drew, ; Anadón Sampling approach and data collection et al., ). Local ecological knowledge has been used to provide in- Following the design of similar surveys of large carnivores in formation on species’ distributions and status over large Europe (e.g. Kaczensky et al., a,b; Chapron et al., ) landscapes, with moderate effort (Taubmann et al., ). and taking into account the home ranges of the European However, there are limitations and caveats regarding its (Breitenmoser-Würsten et al., ) and Balkan lynx use (Caruso et al., ), especially when dealing with popu- (D. Melovski, unpubl. data), the study area was overlaid lations of large carnivores for which detectability is almost with
Recommended publications
  • Incorporating Natural and Human Factors in Habitat Modelling and Spatial Prioritisation for the Lynx Lynx Martinoi
    Web Ecol., 16, 17–31, 2016 www.web-ecol.net/16/17/2016/ doi:10.5194/we-16-17-2016 © Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Incorporating natural and human factors in habitat modelling and spatial prioritisation for the Lynx lynx martinoi K. Laze1,a and A. Gordon2 1Leibniz Institute of Agriculture Development in Transition Economies, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany 2School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, P.O. Box 2476, Melbourne 3001, Australia anow at: Polytechnic University of Albania, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, Rr. “M. Gjollesha”, No. 54, 1023 Tirana, Albania Correspondence to: K. Laze ([email protected]) Received: 11 June 2015 – Revised: 30 December 2015 – Accepted: 11 January 2016 – Published: 2 February 2016 Abstract. Countries in south-eastern Europe are cooperating to conserve a sub-endemic lynx species, Lynx lynx martinoi. Yet, the planning of species conservation should go hand-in-hand with the planning and management of (new) protected areas. Lynx lynx martinoi has a small, fragmented distribution with a small total population size and an endangered population. This study combines species distribution modelling with spatial prioritisa- tion techniques to identify conservation areas for Lynx lynx martinoi. The aim was to determine locations of high probability of occurrence for the lynx, to potentially increase current protected areas by 20 % in Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. The species distribution modelling used generalised linear models with lynx occurrence and pseudo-absence data. Two models were developed and fit- ted using the lynx data: one based on natural factors, and the second based on factors associated with human disturbance.
    [Show full text]
  • Eurasian Lynx 1 Eurasian Lynx
    Eurasian Lynx 1 Eurasian Lynx Eurasian Lynx[1] Conservation status [2] Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Lynx Species: L. lynx Binomial name Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasian Lynx 2 Eurasian Lynx range Synonyms Felis lynx (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx. While its conservation status has been classified as "Least Concern", populations of Eurasian lynx have been reduced or extirpated from western Europe, where it is now being reintroduced. Physical characteristics The Eurasian lynx is the largest lynx species, ranging in length from 80 to 130 cm (31 to 51 in) and standing about 70 cm (28 in) at the shoulder. The tail measures 11 to 25 cm (4.3 to 9.8 in) in length. Males usually weigh from 18 to 30 kg (40 to 66 lb) and females weigh 10 to 21 kg (22 to 46 lb).[3] [4] [5] Male lynxes from Siberia, where the species reaches the largest body size, can weigh up to 38 kg (84 lb) or reportedly even 45 kg (99 lb).[6] [7] It has powerful legs, with large webbed and furred paws that act like snowshoes. It also possesses a short "bobbed" tail with an all-black tip, black tufts of hair on its ears, and a long grey-and-white ruff.
    [Show full text]
  • Tenth World Wilderness Congress Symposium; 2013, 4-10 October; Salamanca, Spain
    Green Belt Europe: Borders Separate, Nature Unites Uwe Friedel Abstract—During the period of the Cold War between 1945 and In the 20th century, European landscape was changed 1989, a “Green Belt” of valuable pristine landscapes developed dramatically by human impact. The growth of the European along the border line between Eastern and Western Europe, the population, the industrial agriculture and fast construction intensively fortified and guarded so called Iron Curtain. Due to the of traffic infrastructure led to the destruction and fragmenta- remoteness of the border areas, a high number of national parks tion of natural and semi-natural habitats. Wilderness was and other large conservation areas can be found there. They are pushed to the margins and remote areas of the continent. connected by small conservation areas and linear structures along But between the end of World War II and the collapse of the the borders which are to a high percentage natural, semi-natural Eastern bloc in 1989, a North-South-corridor throughout and/or extensively used areas. The Green Belt is a cross section of Europe escaped this impact: the border zone along the so all European biogeographical regions and a model for European called Iron Curtain between the politically separated eastern Green Infrastructure (European Commission 2013) which should be and western part of Europe. Along the Iron Curtain a “Green further developed as such. Moreover the Green Belt is an outstanding Belt” of valuable pristine landscapes developed. Due to the memorial landscape of European relevancy with a great potential remoteness of the border areas, a high number of national for trans-boundary cooperation, sustainable regional development, parks and other large conservation areas can be found there.
    [Show full text]
  • Lynx Lynx - (Linnaeus, 1758)
    Lynx lynx - (Linnaeus, 1758) ANIMALIA - CHORDATA - MAMMALIA - CARNIVORA - FELIDAE - Lynx - lynx Common Names: Lynx (French), Shiluus Mii (Mongolian), LINCE BOREAL (), Evroasiin Shiluus (), Lince Boreal (Spanish), Eurasian Lynx (English), Lince (Spanish; Castilian), Lynx Bor?al (French) Synonyms: No Synonyms Taxonomic Note: Balkan lynx was for the first time described an own subspecies in 1941 by the Bulgarian zoologist Ivan Buresh (Buresh, 1941). The name that Buresh gave to the Balkan lynx was Lyx lyx balcanicus. Later on Serbian mammologist Gjorge Miric did much more thoroughly morphometric measurements on skulls of 29 lynx speciements from the Balkans and concluded differences in the size with the specimens from the neighboring Carpathian population, as well as with specimens from Scandinavia and Caucasus (Miric, 1978). Miric changed the subspecies name of the Balkan lynx into Lynx lynx martinoi with no further references to the previously given name by Buresh.The importance of conservation actions was underline by new and preliminary results from genetic research, indicating that the Balkan lynx is indeed different from the Carpathian lynx and should be accepted as a distinct subspecies (Gugolz et al ., 2008; Breitenmoser et al . 2008). Red List Assessment Assessment Information Assessor(s): Dime Melovski, Macedonian Ecological Society Evaluator(s): (Not specified) Contributor(s): (Not specified) Assessment Rationale Europe The Eurasian lynx was driven extinct in much of western and central Europe over the last few centuries. However, over the past few decades, as a result of conservation action, the status of the species has improved. Reintroductions have restored it to some areas of its former range, although many of these reintroduced populations remain fragmented and extremely small.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing the Effectiveness of the Hunting Ban in Albania
    Assessing the effectiveness of the hunting ban in Albania Author: Daniel Ruppert Reviewer: Dr. Aleksandër Trajçe Date: 2nd of March 2018 Realised with the support of PPNEA All pictures by Ndoc Mulaj The hunting activities depicted were recorded during the time frame of the research project Table of content 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 1 2 Context of the research project ............................................................................................. 1 3 Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 2 4 Field observations - implementation of the hunting ban ........................................................ 4 4.1 Skadar Lake Nature Park ................................................................................................ 4 4.2 Nikaj-Mertur Regional Nature Park ................................................................................ 7 4.3 Divjaka-Karavasta National Park .................................................................................. 10 4.4 Prespa National Park ................................................................................................... 11 4.5 Nivica .......................................................................................................................... 11 4.6 Shalë ..........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 2019 Cat Specialist Group Report
    IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group 2019 Report Christine Breitenmoser Urs Breitenmoser Co-Chairs Mission statement Research activities: develop camera trapping Christine Breitenmoser (1) Cat Manifesto database which feeds into the Global Mammal Urs Breitenmoser (2) (www.catsg.org/index.php?id=44). Assessment and the IUCN SIS database. Technical advice: (1) develop Cat Monitoring Guidelines; (2) conservation of the Wild Cat Red List Authority Coordinator Projected impact for the 2017-2020 (Felis silvestris) in Scotland: review of the Tabea Lanz (1) quadrennium conservation status and assessment of conser- By 2020, we will have implemented the Assess- Location/Affiliation vation activities. Plan-Act (APA) approach for additional cat (1) Plan KORA, Muri b. Bern, Switzerland species. We envision improving the status (2) Planning: (1) revise the National Action Plan for FIWI/Universtiät Bern and KORA, Muri b. assessments and launching new conservation Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) in Bern, Switzerland planning processes. These conservation initia- Iran; (2) participate in Javan Leopard (Panthera tives will be combined with communicational pardus melas) workshop; (3) facilitate lynx Number of members and educational programmes for people and workshop; (4) develop conservation strategy for 193 institutions living with these species. the Pallas’s Cat (Otocolobus manul); (5) plan- ning for the Leopard in Africa and Southeast Social networks Targets for the 2017-2020 quadrennium Asia; (6) updating and coordination for the Lion Facebook: IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Assess (Panthera leo) Conservation Strategy; (7) facil- Website: www.catsg.org Capacity building: attend and facilitate a work- itate a workshop to develop a conservation shop to develop recommendations for the strategy for the Jaguar (Panthera onca) in a conservation of the Persian Leopard (Panthera number of neglected countries in collaboration pardus tulliana) in July 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • Carnivora; Podred: Feliformia
    SCOPOLIA No 95: 1–161 (2019) Katalog sesalcev v zbirki Prirodoslovnega muzeja Slovenije II Red: Carnivora; podred: Feliformia Catalogue of the mammals in the collection of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History II Order: Carnivora; suborder: Feliformia Mojca JERNEJC KODRIČ1, Boris KRYŠTUFEK1 Izvleček V tej objavi je podan pregled muzejskih primerkov podreda Feliformia (mačkam podobne zveri). V zbirki Prirodoslovnega muzeja Slovenije hranimo 88 primerkov, ki pripadajo 18 vrstam v 14 rodovih in 4 družinah. Velika večina primerkov je iz družine mačk Felidae (75 %). Material izvira iz 11 držav v treh biogeografskih območjih: palearktičnem (72,7 % primerkov), etiopskem (9,1 %) in orientalnem (4,6 %). Nadaljnjih 13,6 % materiala je brez podatkov o izvoru ali pa izvira iz ujetništva. Primerki so bili zbrani na 39 nahajališčih v Sloveniji in 21 nahajališčih v tujini; seštevek je 60 naha- jališč. Polovica primerkov je iz Slovenije. Primerki so večinoma ohranjeni kot lobanje (77,3 %). Kože so ohranjene od 26,1 % muzejskih primerkov, od 5,7 % primerkov pa se je ohranilo tudi okostje. Nadaljnjih 18,2 % primerkov so dermoplastični preparati; ti vključujejo zgodovinske primerke, ki so pogosto pomanjkljivo dokumentirani. Mokrih primerkov navedenega podreda v zbirki ni. Ključne besede: muzejske zoološke zbirke, mačke, cibetovke, ihneumoni, hijene, lobanja, dermoplastika Abstract In this paper we list and comment on museum vouchers from the mammalian suborder Feliformia (cat-like carnivorans). The Slovenian Museum of Natural History holds 88 specimens of 18 species in 14 genera and 4 families. The great majority of specimens are cats (family Felidae; 75%). The material originates from 11 countries in three biogeographical regions: the Palaearctic (72.7% of vouchers), Ethiopian (9.1%), and Oriental (4.6%).
    [Show full text]
  • Monitoring Guidelines English.Indd
    e Dezember 2006 KORA Bericht Nr. 33 ISSN 1422-5123 Guidelines for the Monitoring of Lynx Prepared by Urs Breitenmoser Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten Manuela von Arx Fridolin Zimmermann Andreas Ryser Christof Angst Anja Molinari-Jobin Paolo Molinari John Linnell Adrian Siegenthaler Jean-Marc Weber for the Workshop on the Conservation and Monitoring of the Balkan lynx Koordinierte Forschungsprojekte zur Erhaltung und zum Management der Raubtiere in der Schweiz. Coordinated research projects for the conservation and management of carnivores in Switzerland. KORA Projets de recherches coordonnés pour la conservation et la gestion des carnivores en Suisse. KORA, Thunstrasse 31, CH-3074 Muri. Tel +41-31-951 70 40, Fax +41-31-951 90 40, E-Mail [email protected], Internet http://www.kora.ch 1 Supported by the Federal Agency of Nature Conservation with fi nancial means of the Federal Ministry of En- vironment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety,Safety, Federal Republic of Germany.Germany. The LLynxynx Monitoring Guidelines are a part of the Balkan Green Belt project of EURONATUR. Pages: 31. © 2006 KORA. ISSN 1422-5123. 2 Guidelines for the Monitoring of Lynx Prepared by Urs Breitenmoser, Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten, Manuela von Arx Fridolin Zimmermann, Andreas Ryser, Christof Angst, Anja Molinari-Jobin Paolo Molinari, John Linnell, Adrian Siegenthaler, Jean-Marc Weber for the Workshop on the Conservation and Monitoring of the Balkan lynx 3 4 Index 1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • EU Large Carnivore Platform Seventh Regional Workshop Report Budva, 6 November 2018
    EU Large Carnivore Platform Seventh Regional Workshop Report Budva, 6 November 2018 Report of the Seventh Regional Workshop of the EU Platform on Coexistence between People and Large Carnivores Budva, 6 November 2018 This report was drafted for the Platform members with the assistance of adelphi consult GmbH and Callisto, as part of the services provided to DG Environment of the European Commission for Service Contract No. 07.0202/2017/768359/SER/ENV.D.3. It does not necessarily reflect the official view of the European Commission. Visit the Platform at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/carnivores/coexistence_platform.htm Contents Introduction 3 Background 3 Aim of the workshop 4 Workshop format 4 Workshop attendance 4 Workshop presentations 5 Introduction and workshop aims 5 Introduction to the ‘EU Platform on Coexistence between People and Large Carnivores’ 5 Overview from the neighbouring countries 8 Need for population level management of large carnivores in the region 11 Examples of transboundary / regional cooperation and initiatives from the region and other EU countries 11 Break out groups discuss the potential for establishing a Dinara-Pindos-Balkan regional large carnivore platform and workshop statement 13 Conclusions and next steps 14 Workshop statement 14 Next steps 15 Annex 1. Agenda 17 Annex 2. Participants list 20 Annex 3. Break out groups results 22 GROUP 1: What are the topics a platform in the Dinara-Pindos-Balkan region needs to address? 23 GROUP 2: Which are the most important challenges that the platform will face?24 GROUP 3: Taking the EU Large Carnivore Platform as a role model: what should a platform in the Dinara-Pindos-Balkan region look like? 27 ALL: Views on establishing a platform 28 Annex 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Jablanica-Shebenik Working Towards a Transboundary Protected Area for the Balkan Lynx
    Jablanica-Shebenik Working towards a transboundary protected area for the Balkan lynx EuroNatur Spezial Nr.04/2011 Jablanica-Shebenik - 1 - 1. Geography of the area Jablanica and Shebenik Mountains are located north-west of Ohrid and Prespa Lakes. Jablanica Mountain indicates the southern border between Albania and Macedonia, while Shebenik Mountain is situated entirely in Albania and forms a parallel mountain range to Jablanica. On the Albanian side, Jablanica-Shebenik Mountains are dominated by high inclinations with elevations varying from 300 m to 2,262 m (Rreshpa-Shebeniku peak). The highest peak on the Macedonian side is Crn Kamen (2,257 m), while the most prominent summit is Strižek (2,233 m). Both Jablanica and Shebenik Mountains are known for a variety of glacial and periglacial relief forms, among them several cirques and glacial lakes. Considerable part of Jablanica is composed of limestone. The karstic origin shows in several springs, the most prominent one being Vev čani Springs in the village Vev čani in Macedonia. The most of the Shebenik Mt. ground is composed of serpentinite. The slopes of Jablanica-Shebenik are dominated by forest. From 600 m to 1,300 m, the landscape is characterized by thermophile oak and Oriental hornbeam ( Carpinus orientalis ) forests, followed by broad-leaved mixed oak-hornbeam or oak forests. Pure beech forests cover the slopes between 1,300 m and 1,800 m. Subalpine and alpine grassland extends above the tree line, mainly used as high-mountain pastures (MES 2006, PPNEA 2006). The local population of the Jablanica-Shebenik Mountains has been using natural resources (mainly wood) of the area for centuries.
    [Show full text]
  • The Balkan Lynx Population History, Recent Knowledge on Its Status and Conservation Needs
    KORA Bericht Nr. 7 e Juni 2001 ISSN 1422-5123 The Balkan Lynx Population History, Recent Knowledge on its Status and Conservation Needs June 2001 Koordinierte Forschungsprojekte zur Erhaltung und zum Management der Raubtiere in der Schweiz. Coordinated research projects for the conservation and management of carnivores in Switzerland. KORA Projets de recherches coordonnés pour la conservation et la gestion des carnivores en Suisse. KORA, Thunstrasse 31, CH-3074 Muri. Tel +41-31-951 70 40, Fax +41-31-951 90 40, Email: [email protected], http://www.kora.unibe.ch 2 KORA Bericht Nr. 7 KORA Bericht Nr. 7 englisch: The Balkan Lynx Population - History, Recent Knowledge on its Status and Conservation Needs Bearbeitung Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten and Adaptation Urs Breitenmoser Editorial Kora, Thunstrasse 31, CH-3074 Muri Bezugsquelle Kora, Thunstrasse 31, CH-3074 Muri Source T +41 31 951 70 40 / F +41 31 951 90 40 Source [email protected] Titelzeichnung Balkan lynx Frontispice Velizar Simeonovski, Bulgaria Cover picture ©KORA Juni 2001 Juni 2001 3 The Balkan Lynx Population - History, Recent Knowledge on its Status and Conservation Needs Edited by Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten and Urs Breitenmoser Acknowledgements We would like to thank Adrienne Jackson-Farrell for improving the language, and Susanne Hagen and Seraina Klopfstein for editorial help. Ulrich Müller and Matthias Ulrich helped with compiling the summary distribution map. The first Meeting on Balkan Lynx Conservation, held in Plitivice, Croatia, in spring 2000 was financially sup- ported
    [Show full text]
  • National Red List North Macedonia
    Macedonia North of Republic the in Lists Red National Egyptian vulture; Neophron percnopterus; Endangered* Photography © Shutterstock / Allween Achieving Biodiversity Conservation through Creation and Effective Management of Protected Areas and Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Land Use Planning UN Environment, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, is conducting the project “Achieving Biodiversity Conservation through Creation and Effective Management of Protected Areas and Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Land Use Planning”, funded by the Global Environment Facility. The objective of the project is to promote biodiversity conservation in the country through three main components: 1. increasing the protected areas network and connectivity, 2. increasing effectiveness of biodiversity management, and 3. mainstreaming land use planning and biodiversity Testudo hermanni; Near threatened* Photography © Institute for nature conservation of Serbia Promoting biodiversity conservation in the Republic of North Macedonia Because of its impressive variation in climatic, topographic and geologic characteristics, the Republic of North Macedonia holds a wealth of biodiversity supporting the accompanying ecosystem services. The country forms part of the wider Mediterranean Region; the third most important biodiversity hotspot in the world. Unfortunately, pressures on biodiversity are rising due to intense socio-economic development within the country in combination with other regional processes. The effectiveness of biodiversity
    [Show full text]