Oecologia Montana 2018, Short-term faunistic monitoring of four Sites of Com- 27, 7-20 munity Importance (SCI) in the Pieniny National Park with suggestions of land management proposal B. BARANOVÁ1, Ľ. HRIVNIAK2, J. appropriate conservation measures. They also provide OBOŇA1, Z. KRUMPÁLOVÁ3, P. MANKO1 a wide range of provisioning, regulation and socio-cul- 4 tural ecosystem services (IEEP 2002; Schweppe-Kraft and Z. MATÚŠOVÁ 2008; Kettunen et al. 2009) dependent on particular 1 species, groups of species, habitat types, vegetation Department of Ecology, Faculty of Humanities and structures or land cover (Bastian 2013). Natural Sciences, University of Prešov, 17.novembra 2 Natura 2000, an EU-wide network of nature pro- 1, SK-081 16 Prešov, Slovakia; Biology Centre CAS, tection areas established under the 1992 Habitats Di- Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, CZ 3 rective was designed to achieve the aim of the Euro- -370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Depart- pean Community, i.e. “to halt the loss of biodiversity ment of Ecology and Environmental Science, Faculty and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU of Natural Sciences, Trieda Andreja Hlinku 1, SK-949 4 by 2020, restore them as far as feasible, while step- 74 Nitra, Slovakia; Faculty of Ecology and Environ- ping up the EU contribution to averting global biodi- mental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, T. versity loss” (Viceníková and Polák 2003; COM 2011) G. Masaryka 24, SK- 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia; and to assure the long-term survival of Europe’s most e-mail: [email protected]; lubos.hrivniak@gmail. valuable and threatened species and habitats. Its es- com; [email protected]; [email protected]; peter. tablishment also fulfills a Community obligation under [email protected]; [email protected] the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The Na- tura 2000 network includes nature reserves, however, most of the included land is privately owned and the Abstract. Sites of Community Importance (SCI) emphasis is on ensuring its ecological and economi- represent rare and endangered biotopes of the Na- cally sustainable management. tura 2000 network. The objective of SCI protection Our study was carried out according to the and management is to keep their landscape and eco- framework of objectives of the “Development of logical function as well as their biological diversity in management plans for selected sites included in the good condition. In our study, four SCI in the buffer Natura 2000”. The project was focused on a bio- zone of Pieniny National Park, Slovakia were inves- diversity inventory of selected invertebrate groups tigated. We surveyed selected aquatic and terres- including macrozoobenthos, Diptera and terrestrial trial invertebrates during a short-term period in early Araneae and Coleoptera and the development of summer 2015, in the water and water dependent a management proposal to maintain the status of biotopes and their coastal zones. The consistent re- four SCI in the Pieniny National Park protective connaissance of the actual status of sampling sites zone: Veľké Osturnianske jazero lake, Malé Ostur- was important, as we confirmed the presence of sev- nianske jazerá lakes, Jarabinský prielom gorge and eral rare, endangered and Natura Directive species Plavečské štrkoviská gravel deposit. of flies, mayflies and dragonflies as well as terres- In general, the area of Pieniny National Park trial spiders and ground beetles. Application of the is faunistically well studied. Information about management proposal, which we suggested with the fauna and flora of this area were published by respect to the bionomy and habitat requirements of Vološčuk (1992) and Razowski (2000), and several present protected species, should lead to improve- papers focusing on the particular animal groups ment of actual conditions of the monitored SCI. from this area were also published (e. g Arachni- da - Svatoň 1990; Coleoptera - Jászay 1997; 1999; Key words: terrestrial, aquatic, invertebrates, SCI, PIEN- 2001; 2007; aquatic invertebrates - Manko and AP, management Zaťovičová 2006; Lepidoptera - Panigaj 2008). On the other hand, some taxa and particular areas and sites remained almost ignored. With the exception Introduction of the paper published by Šácha (2010), including data on fauna of the Odonata in the Veľké Ostur- Sites of Community Importance (SCI) as a part of Spe- nianske jazero lake and Malé Osturnianske jazerá cial Areas of Conservation (SAC) were designated to lakes, there are no other published data on the in- meet specific conservation objectives achievable by vertebrate fauna of our researched sites. 7 © 2018 Prunella Publishers 8 The targets of SCI protection are both the Natura der the code SKUEV0335 (Natura 2000 - Stan- B. Baranová, Ľ. Directive species as well as habitat types. At the dard data form); N 49°20.254´, E 20°12.348´, Hrivniak, J. Oboňa, SCI location we studied, dominant aquatic species elevation 883 m a. s. l., area of water surface Z. Krumpálová, included Bombina variegata (Linnaeus, 1758), Cas- 0.06ha, total SCI area 6.465ha. The site is situat- P. Manko & Z. tor fiber (Linnaeus, 1758), Hamatocaulis vernicosus ed within the buffer zone of the Pieniny National Matúšová (Mitt.) Hedenäs, Lissotriton montandoni (Bouleng- Park, near the border with Poland, in south-west er, 1880) (Veľké Osturnianske jazero lake, Malé Os- of Veľké Osturnianske jazero lake. The site was turnianské jazerá lakes) or Cottus gobio (Linnaeus, designed as a nature reserve in 1984. It features 1758), Hucho hucho (Linnaeus, 1758), Lutra lutra very rich aquatic and wetland communities well (Linnaeus, 1758), and Castor fiber (Linnaeus, 1758) adapted to the fluctuating water level. Local (Plavečské štrkoviská gravel deposit). Interesting aquatic and wetland communities are mostly plants including bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata L.), surrounded by meadows and forests. The site marsh lousewort (Pedicularis palustris L.), lesser is also prone to landslides following prolonged tussock sedge (Carex diandra Schrank) and round periods of rain (Vološčuk 1992). leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia L.) could be Jarabinský prielom gorge, registered under also found here. The targets of habitat protection the code SKUEV0339 (Natura 2000 - Standard are mostly water dependent habitats, including nat- data form); N 49°20.864’, E 20°38.899’, elevation ural eutrophic and dystrophic lakes and ponds, tran- 652 m a. s. l.. Jarabinský prielom gorge makes sition mires and quaking bogs, petrifying springs, up part of the SCI Pieninské bradlá cliffs – a alkaline fens and species-rich Nardus grasslands at larger area of limestone cliffs, belonging to the Veľké Osturnianske jazero lake and Malé Osturni- geomorphological unit Ľubovnianska vrchovina anske jazerá lakes, alpine rivers with ligneous veg- highlands and Pieniny (Vološčuk 1992; Košický etation (Salix eleagnos Scop.), species-rich Nardus and Ivanič 2011). It is a water shaped limestone grasslands, hydrophilous tall herb fringe communi- gorge with five cascades and large potholes (5m ties of plains and alkaline fens at Jarabinský prielom in diameter, 3m deep) located 630 - 700 m a. s. gorge and alpine rivers with ligneous vegetation at l. and covering an area of 5.55 ha. The sampling Plavečské štrkoviská gravel deposit. site lies north of Jarabina village in the near vi- Therefore the aim of our study was to: cinity of the local stone quarry. Malý Lipník brook a) create a checklist and characterise assemblages flow through this area, creating entire limestone of selected groups of aquatic and terrestrial inver- desks, cascades and waterfalls. Its coastal zone tebrates that contribute to the knowledge of inver- is dominated by Acer sp., Abies alba (Mill.) and tebrate fauna of Pieniny National Park from four Picea abies (L.) and has forest character. stands representing Sites of Community Importance Plavečské štrkoviská gravel deposit, regis- (SCI) belonging to the Natura 2000 network, (Veľké tered under the code SKUV0338 (Natura 2000 - Osturnianske jazero lake, Malé Osturnianske jaz- Standard data form); N 49°15.534’, E 20°50.872’, erá lakes, Jarabinský prielom gorge and Plavečské elevation 480 m a. s. l., total SCI area 66.24ha. štrkoviská gravel deposit) This gravel deposit was created through natu- b) environmental reconnaissance to aid develop- ral reclamation following gravel-sands mining. ment of a management proposal with the objective The stand is located within the meander of the of maintaining the status of of biotopes and their Poprad River, in the vicinity of Plaveč village, services with regard to the present taxa of aquatic within the geomorphological unit of Spišsko – and terrestrial invertebrates. šarišské medzihorie. The area includes exten- sive water planes, wetlands, flooded forests, the part of Ľubotínka brook and Poprad River (Košický and Ivanič 2011). Material and Methods Material collection and identification Sampling sites Terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates were sampled The sampling of terrestrial and aquatic inverte- using standard methods on May 14th, June 3rd, and brates was carried out during the 2015 at four June 17th of 2015. The focus was on the capture sampling sites within localities representing Sites of the maximum spectrum of taxa/species possible, of Community Importance (SCI), belonging to NA- rather than on quantitative collection, and there- TURA 2000 network (Fig. 1). The short characteri- fore, we focused on material sampling possible sation of the sampling sites are as follows: within the widest spectrum of present microhabi- Veľké Osturnianske jazero lake, registered un- tats. Thus, abundance is expressed as an absolute der the code SKUEV0334 (Natura 2000 - Standard number, not counted as activity abundance. data form); N 49°20.49’, E 0°13.204’, elevation 815 Aquatic invertebrates were collected with a hy- m a. s. l., area of water surface 0.25ha, total SCI dro biological net (0.35mm density) using the “kick- area 45.51ha. The site lies within the western part ing sampling” method. Samples were taken from all of the buffer zone of Pieniny National Park, in near presented microhabitats, including the whole flow vicinity of Osturňa village.