Box 9D Temperate forests: Bieszczady Region (Poland, Ukraine, Slovak Republic)

Bieszczady Region forest

Source: G Heiss


Where the borders of Poland, the Slovak Republic and Ukraine meet, the Bieszczady Region (Site 80 on Map 9.3) forms Europe's largest natural mountain beech forest ecosystem. The area's history and remoteness have made the site a priority target for European nature conservation.

The Polish part provides habitat for 70 per cent of the country's brown bear and wolf population; the European bison (Bison bison) has been reintroduced, and wild cats (Felis silvestris), otters (Lutra lutra) and about 100 lynx (Lynx lynx) find optimal habitat conditions within the territory. The most threatened species among the birds are eagle (eg, Aquila spp), Ural owl (Asio spp), hazel hen (Bonasia bonasia), black stork (Ciconia nigra), white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotus), booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) and lesser spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina). The entire area encompasses about 100 000 hectares of beech forests, mixed woods with fir (Abies spp), spruce (Picea spp), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and alder woods (Alnus spp) in damp valleys. The Wolosate valley forms the core area of the Bieszczady national park on Polish territory. This strictly protected nature reserve, covering 4400 ha, is a beech-dominated forest ecosystem with intermixed single sycamores and interspersed alder woods in the moist lowlands. Some years ago, the national parks in this region of Poland were tripled in size to 15 337 ha, protecting peat and rock formations in some small zones.

On the Slovakian side the protected landscape area of Vychodne Karpady with about 67 000 ha plus a buffer zone of about 31 000 ha is linked with the Polish national park and includes the famous Stuzica Reserve. This is believed to be the largest remaining area of virgin forest in Central Europe, covering about 700 ha. Additionally, on the Ukrainian side, a nature reserve of 2000 ha exists, planned to be increased to 5000 ha.

The lack of sufficient protection for most of the Bieszczady region allows human activities (such as tourism projects and forest exploitation in the immediate vicinity as well as inside the reserves) to affect the area unchecked. Recent efforts have been made to designate a large trilateral reserve with a high protection status. Nature conservation efforts might help improve the ecological quality of the region, but cannot halt effects from external pressures such as those from air pollution.