Almost a third of the country in protected areas
Many might ask why go to Slovakia. One of the simplest answers is "For its breathtaking nature and landscapes", because yes, it's true, if you love nature, you will feel good in Slovakia. Nine national parks protect areas of ecological interest: Malá Fatra, Muránska planina, Nízke Tatry, Pieninsky, Poloniny, Slovensky Kras, Slovensky raj, Vysoké Tatry and Velká Fatra. The National Nature Protection (Štátna ochrana prírody), a non-profit governmental organization, is responsible for the management of these protected areas throughout the country. It implements protection policies to safeguard ecosystems and biodiversity. The majority of Slovakia's national parks are mountainous areas. If we add the thirteen protected landscapes and one thousand protected areas, we arrive at a total of about 23% of the national territory.
A European protection thanks to the Natura 2000 network
The Natura 2000 network brings together natural or semi-natural sites in the European Union that are of great heritage value for the exceptional flora and fauna they contain. As of December 2018, Slovakia had 683 sites including: 41 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds covering 13,105 km² and 642 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for habitats and species covering 6,151 km². The total area is 14,633 km², which represents 30% of the land surface of the territory of Slovakia.
A rich fauna
Slovakia has a particularly rich and well-preserved animal life, not least thanks to the early establishment of parks and protected areas that safeguard species from the ravages of human development. The link between man and animal has never been broken in Slovakia, which is why the coexistence with these "ferocious" animals in the popular imagination is still possible for Slovaks today. It is estimated that about 1,200 bears and 600 wolves live in the coniferous forests of the high mountains in the centre and north of the country. However, in the middle of the 20th century, only 20 bears were still living in Slovakia. Strict protection measures (prohibition of hunting, regulation of logging operations and of the penetration of areas frequented by bears) have led to a dramatic increase in the bear population. The upland coniferous forests are also home to a large population of lynx, a rarity in Europe, wild cats, chamois, marmots, woodpeckers, squirrels, bullfinches, crossbills, capercaillies, deer, hares, black storks and black partridges. Imperial eagles nest in the forests at lower elevations. Many wild boars, wild cats, dormice, wood snakes, kites and nightingales also live here. On the plains of the Danube, cormorants, oats, bitterns, European orioles, herons, white-tailed eagles, black kites and woodpeckers live together. On the plains live partridges, quails, corncrakes, hamsters, hares and, less common, bustards and curlews.
Creeks and rivers are home to trout, carp, sturgeon and burbot. A strange species of shrimp, a survivor of the Ice Age, is still present in Furkotské Lake in the Vysoké Tatry Mountains (High Tatras). Among the amphibians living in freshwater and wetlands, Slovakia has wood and field frogs, Carpathian and crested newts, the marsh turtle, the only turtle living in Slovakia. And on the banks of its rivers, Slovakia occasionally sees otters and beavers.
Slovakia has no ocean or sea, but it does have a few large lakes such as Vel'ké Hincovo pleso and Lake Orava. Slovakia is also crossed by the Danube and the Vah. These aquatic environments allow it to host rare fauna such as the slave grebe, the black-legged kittiwake, the dogfish..Pets
Houses and apartments are mainly kept by dogs, which are the most common pets, cats are also present, but mainly in village houses. Horse breeding in Slovakia is widespread. These are usually family run, private ranches often used for tourism. In the countryside, some inhabitants are involved in poultry farming, especially chickens, ducks and turkeys. Pigs and domestic rabbits are also popular pets. In the mountainous areas of Slovakia, in particular in the regions of Liptov and Orava, sheep and cattle are frequently reared and their cheeses are renowned.
Endemic species
769 animal species have been declared protected in Slovakia. Particular mention should be made of endemic species, i.e. unique species of the animal kingdom that live only on a defined territory, in this case Slovakia. Among invertebrates, these include the beautiful blue slug Bielzia coerulans, the zygotic butterfly, the filipendula. Other endemic species in Slovakia include the chamois and wild Tatra marmot and the boreal lynx. In addition, Europe's largest flying bird, the Great Bustard, has its habitat in the Dropie Protected Area near Komárno. Finally, in the protected area of Topoľčianky, near Zlaté Moravce, bison, deer and horses are bred and bred.
Dangerous animals
In deciduous forests there is a risk of tick infection, so it is advisable to use insect repellents before entering the forest and to check all parts of your body after a walk in the woods. In the wild it is also possible to come into contact with poisonous animals. The only really venomous snake in Slovakia is the northern viper. It can live in a variety of habitats ranging from wetlands such as river banks to sunny clearings on mountain slopes. Therefore, you should be careful when staying in certain areas, especially when gathering forest. In the event of a pinch, first aid should be given immediately. A hornet, wasp or bee bite can also be dangerous, especially for people with allergies.
More than 3,000 species of plants
During the Quaternary, the climate in Slovakia changed several times, which affected the specific composition of the flora. Some species have survived to the present day, others have disappeared. However, the gradual warming has spread new plant species. Slovakia's flora is rich in numbers and plant species, mainly due to the mild climate and varied geological subsoil. Forty per cent of it is covered by particularly well-preserved forests, which are the country's most valuable natural wealth. These are popular places to relax, visited every year by many hikers and cyclists. The flora of the plains, like that of the mountains, has a rich representation, with a total of more than 3,000 plant species, 92 of which are endemic. As the altitude increases, the composition of the plants changes. Thus, from 100 to 400 m there are oak forests, from 100 to 700 m oak and beech forests, from 450 to 800 m beech forests, from 650 to 1,050 m beech and fir forests, from 850 to 1,300 m beech, fir and spruce forests, from 1,100 to 1,550 m spruce forests and from 1,450 to 1,900 m dwarf pine forests.
The flora of the plains
The southern plains are the warmer regions of Slovakia. In these areas, the flora consists of forests of oak, small-leaved lime, birch, maple, walnut, hornbeam, ash, acacia, hazel. The river banks are lined with alluvial forests of willow and alder, mainly at an altitude of 250 to 300 m. This lowland territory is rich in black elder trees, ivy and hawthorns, and man-made fruit tree orchards, there are apple trees, pear trees, plum trees, cherry trees, apricot trees, peach trees and black currants, and pretty flowers like roses, daffodils and tulips. Finally, the sunny foothills of the mountain slopes are famous vineyards, for example in the vicinity of Pezinok, Modra or Nitra.
The flora of the mountains
Mountain flora is divided into several sub-regions, including several mountains of Slovakia such as Malé Karpaty, Považský Inovec, Tríbeč, Strážovské vrchy, Fatra and Tatras and the higher mountain ranges
Beech(Fagus silvatica) is the symbol of Slovak forests, it is the basis of the stability of forest ecosystems and therefore the most represented species. These primary forests with trees several hundred years old are rare in Europe, which is why Unesco added the primary beech forest of the Poloniny National Park to the World Heritage List in 2007. They are typical of higher altitudes. Other deciduous tree species are winter oak, black alder, hazelnut, common ash, white birch, aspen and field elm.
Above 1,000 m, there are coniferous forests. Slovak representatives of this species are the white fir, spruce, larch and various types of pine, black pine, alpine pine and mountain pine.
Above, at the edge of the forest, on the steep, limestone slopes, there are only beech forests supplemented by lime trees, mountain maples and small bushes. The vegetation is spread out, the stones in the woods are covered with mosses and lichens, and these forests are the destination of many mushroom pickers who grow everywhere
Thanks to its location in the center of Europe and the environmental conditions, there are also 92 endemic species in Slovakia that are totally or almost totally related to the peculiarities of the Slovak territory. These endemic plants are found only in very limited areas. The best known are: Cyclamen fatrense, Daphne arbuscula, Pulsatilla slavica, Pulsatilla subslavica, Saxifraga wahlenbergii, Carpathian soldanella(Thlaspi jankae) and Wahlenberg mustard. Slovakia also offers a rich heritage of relict and protected species, i.e. almost extinct plants from ancient times. One example is the spring adonis. The best-known protected plants include the Clusius gentian, edelweiss and alpine aster. There are also many medicinal plants in Slovakia that the locals pick themselves and then dry and brew on long winter evenings.
