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| Biosphere Reserve Information | ||||
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TATRA |
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| General Description |
The Tatra Mountains are the highest mountains in the long Carpathian range that stretches from Slovakia into Romania, via Poland, Ukraine and Hungary. The territory of the biosphere reserve covers two national parks on each side of the political boundary between Poland and Slovakia. Within this transboundary biosphere reserve, a variety of natural features are represented, such as karst topography in dolomites and limestone, canyons and waterfalls, a dwarf pine belt, alpine meadows, lakes and rocky peaks. On the Polish side, tourism plays a major economic role with over 3 million visitors in 1999, each paying an entrance fee to the national park. The larger Slovak part of the biosphere reserve is also very frequented by visitors (3-4 million per year), however visitors pay no entrance fee. Main employment is provided in the tourism sector, but also in forest management. The Tatras Chamois Rescue Project was set up in order to stabilize the endangered chamois population, supported by monitoring, research and education activities. With the creation of the transboundary biosphere reserve it is hoped that tourism development will be balanced with the maintenance of the Tatra ecosystem. |
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| Major ecosystem type | Temperate broadleaf forests or woodlands | |||
| Major habitats & land cover types |
Poland: Mixed beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest with fir (Abies alba) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus); acidophilous spruce and spruce-fir forest with Picea abies, Abies alba, Pinus cembra and Larix decidua at climatic timber line (between 1500-1550 m asl); dwarf pine zone (1,550-1,850 m asl) with dwarf pine (Pinus mugo), Sorbus aucuparia and Betula carpatica; alpine zone with Juncus trifidus, Oreochloa disticha, Festuca supina etc.; subnival zone with Oreochloa disticha, Gentiana frigida, Silene acaulis etc. Slovakia: Coniferous forest with marked altitudinal zonality with Picea abies, Pinus cembra, Larix decidua, Acer pseudoplatanus etc.; subalpine krummholz with Pinus mugo, Ribes petraeum, Betula carpatica etc.; alpine tundra on granite substratum with Oreochloa disticha, Juncus trifidus, Festuca supina, and on limestone substratum with Carex tatrorum, C. firma and Sesleria tatrae; subnival region with Salix herbacea, Minuartia sedoides etc.; peatbogs with Pinus mugo, Oxycoccus microcarpus, Drosera rotundifolia etc.; snow patches with Salix herbacea, Luzula alpino-pilosa and Ligusticum mutellina |
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| Location | 49°04' to 49°19'N; 19°34' to 20°21'E | |||
| Area (hectares) | ||||
| Total | 123,566 | |||
| Core area(s) | 56,992 (Poland: 7,548; Slovakia: 49,444) | |||
| Buffer zone(s) | 30,012 (Poland: 6,371; Slovakia: 23,641) | |||
| Transition area(s) when given | 36,562 (Poland: 3,987; Slovakia: 32,575) | |||
| Altitude (metres above sea level) | Poland: +750 to +2,499 Slovakia: +700 to +2,655 | |||
| Year designated | 1992 | |||
| Administrative authorities | Poland: Tatra National Park, Ministry of Nature Protection, Natural resources and Forestry Slovakia: Tatry National Park Administration. It reports to Ministry of the Environment through the Headquarters of the State Nature Conservancy | |||
| Last updated: 2/26/2007 |
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