Ecological corridors for large mammals in the Carpathian ecoregion
Journal Title: Roczniki Bieszczadzkie - Year 2012, Vol 20, Issue 1
Abstract
The Carpathians stretch over the territory of seven countries and provide habitats for significant on European scale numbers of large mammals. Because they are mostly covered with the forests, they provide the most important linkage for wildlife between South-Eastern and Central Europe. However, the continuity of migration routes of large mammals along this mountain chain is threatened by the development of road network, new settlements and infrastructure, encroaching into mountain valleys. Unfortunately, so far there is a lack of ecological corridors being formally approved and cooperatively maintained by all Carpathian countries. The establishment of a corridor can be done at macroscale (whole mountain chain), mezoscale (regional) and microscale (local). Planning of a corridor in the microscale requires the most detailed analyses of habitat quality, barriers for animals’ movements, and local management plans. It involves also a communication with all concerned stakeholders and obtaining their approval. Final analyses and planning should be performed at the level of administrative spatial units (e.g. cadastral plots and forest compartments). A corridor should be planned to meet habitat requirements of species that are the priority in a given area, preferably of “umbrella” type, to make the corridor possibly the most universal. In planning process, accordingly to habitat preferences of animal species, there is necessary to calculate habitat suitability index and the course of the corridor should be delineated according to the least cost path rule. Main obstacles for establishing international ecological corridors in the Carpathians are political, economical and historic differences among countries of the region. Among countries that are EU members, perhaps the implementation of Natura 2000 network can be helpful. However, at the same time, in progress is the development of major communication routes, crossing the main ridge of the Carpathians, which if not properly designed, will become impassable barriers for wildlife in the future. Another serious problem is a growing trend for placing new infrastructure and housing in upper parts of mountain valleys, which also creates barriers for migration routes of large mammals, usually parallel to mountain ridges. This issue could be mitigated by an adequate evaluation of environmental impact obligatory for all planned investments.
Authors and Affiliations
Kajetan Perzanowski
Keywords
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