Kosovo

Europa

313

Documented species

Parks and reserves

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Kosovo is a territory of basins ringed by high mountains, with two national parks that take up a notable share of its surface. The Bjeshkët e Nemuna, a continuation of the Albanian Alps, form glacial cirques, limestone walls and beech and pine forests where brown bears, wolves and Balkan chamois move, along with the Balkan lynx, detected very sporadically on camera traps. The Sharr range, to the south, keeps relict stands of Bosnian pine, high-altitude pastures grazed for centuries and a flora rich in Balkan endemics. The Rugova canyons and the stepped Mirusha waterfalls, cut into travertine, are the country's most singular river landscapes. The headwaters hold native trout, and the mountain pastures remain tied to transhumance with the Sharr shepherd dog.

The nature of Kosovo

National animal: No official national animal

Did you know?

In the forests near Pristina a sanctuary has operated since 2013 to take in the so-called restaurant bears: animals that spent years shut in tiny cages in full view of the customers of bars and hotels as a commercial draw. When the practice was banned, the bears, unable to survive in the wild, were moved to wooded enclosures where many stepped on soil and grass for the first time in their lives.

Biodiversity profile

Balcanes (interior, cuenca transfronteriza de las montañas Sar)Kosovo cubre el 10,68% de su territorio con areas protegidas transfronterizas, la segunda cobertura mas alta de los Balcanes Occidentales tras Albania (13%)

Climate

•Continental humedo (Cfb/Dfb), con clima de montaña en las cordilleras Sar y Prokletije/Alpes Albaneses

Main biomes

•Bosque montano balcanico (44,7% de cobertura forestal)
•Pastizales de alta montaña en las Montañas Sar (transfronterizas con Macedonia del Norte y Albania)
•Alta montaña dinárica
•Bosque de hayas
•Pinar relicto de pino bosnio
•Cañón kárstico
•Cascada de travertino
•Pastizal de altitud
•Río de montaña

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•No aplica (pais sin litoral)

Flagship wildlife

•Lince balcanico (registros ocasionales, posiblemente 2-3 individuos avistados en años recientes)
•Oso pardo y lobo gris (Montañas Sar)
•Buitre egipcio y aguila real
•Oso pardo
•Lobo gris
•Rebeco
•Águila real
•Nutria paleártica
•Urogallo
•Gato montés europeo
•Trucha común
•Búho real

Notable endemic species

•Las Montañas Sar, compartidas con Macedonia del Norte y Albania, son reconocidas como area de biodiversidad excepcional y belleza natural, con estatus de proteccion en los tres paises
•Lince balcánico

Notable threatened species

•Lince balcanico (En Peligro Critico, con avistamientos ocasionales de 2-3 individuos en las montañas de Kosovo, sin poder confirmar si se trata de una linea reproductiva separada o individuos dispersados desde Albania)

Notable protected areas

•Montañas Sar (transfronterizas con Macedonia del Norte y Albania, parte del programa de conservacion del lince balcanico)
•Parque Nacional de Bjeshkët e Nemuna
•Parque Nacional de Sharr
•Cañón de Rugova
•Cascadas de Mirusha
•Lago de Batlava
•Cueva de Gadime

Main conservation threats

•Fragmentacion de habitat y presion de caza furtiva sobre el escaso corredor del lince balcanico
•Deforestacion e infraestructura en zonas de montaña de alto valor de conservacion

Notable natural phenomena

•Kosovo forma parte, junto a Albania, Macedonia del Norte y Montenegro, del programa regional iniciado en 2006 para expandir zonas de proteccion del lince balcanico y combatir la deforestacion y la caza furtiva

Conservation

Historic mining at Trepça and river pollution are the main environmental liability. Camera-trap monitoring of the Balkan lynx is coordinated with North Macedonia and Albania within the same regional programme.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Bjeshkët e Nemuna in summer for chamois and cliff birds. Sharr in spring for the flowering of the pastures and mountain birds. The Rugova canyon year-round for raptors.

Sources: MDPI - Importance EU Integration Biodiversity Transboundary Protected Areas Western Balkan | malaymail.com - Saving the Balkan Lynx | seerural.org - Sustainable Forest Management Western Balkan Region

Mountain Grassland