Měkkýši přírodních památek Kalábová a Kalábová 2 v CHKO Bílé Karpaty [Molluscs of the Kalábová and Kalábová 2 Nature Monuments in the White Carpathians PLA]

The Kalábová (K1) and Kalábová 2 (K2) Nature Monuments are located in the central part of the White Carpathians PLA near the village of Březová. Both monuments protect treeless wet grasslands and tufa forming spring fens, which were originally part of a larger wetland complex. A total of 51 species were recorded in K1 (47 terrestrial and two aquatic gastropods and two bivalves). Of these, 30 species (56%) are woodland dwellers that were recorded during the survey in 2000, shortly after the area was logged. In contrast, none of these species was detected during the recent survey in 2021. However, these species are widespread in the region and Nature Monuments surroundings and some are likely present also in the ecotones of the spring meadow and adjacent forest. Currently, hygrophilous and wetland dwellers dominate (9 spp.; 17%), followed by ubiquitous (7; 15%), open-ground (4; 8%) and aquatic species (4; 8%). At K2, 19 species were recorded, including 15 terrestrial and two aquatic gastropods, and two bivalves. The two most species-rich ecogroups were hygrophilous and wetland dwellers (5; 26%) and woodland dwellers (5; 26%), the latter were prevailing probably due to relatively recent deforestation between 2012–2014. Aquatic species were represented by four species (21%), followed by three ubiquitous (16%) and one open-ground (5%) species. The spring dweller Bythinella austriaca (NT) and the declining wetland umbrella species Vertigo angustior (VU; NATURA 2000) inhabited both localities in high densities. To maintain the favourable habitat conservation status of the reserves, the sites should be managed extensively by grazing or mowing.

Landscape Changes in Protected Areas in Poland

Land-Use Cover Changes (LUCCs) are one of the main problems for the preservation of landscapes and natural biodiversity. Protected Areas (PAs) do not escape this threat. Poland is among the European leaders in terms of the variety of landscapes and the share of an area designated as a protected area. However, as many as 78% of the habitats have poor or bad conservation status based on EEA reports. This article analyzes the LUCCs between 2000 and 2018 in various types of the Polish legal forms of nature protection areas and the European Natura 2000 network within the country. The research material was: the data of Corine Land Cover (CLC), the Central Register of Nature Protection Forms, and high-resolution layers, such as HRL and orthophotos. The results were compiled according to the CLC class and forms of protection. The matrix of transformations showed that the most frequently transformed CLC class was 312 (coniferous forest). It was transformed into class 324 (transitional woodland shrubs). The changes in PAs were usually smaller than in the surrounding buffer zones, which may indicate their effectiveness. The exception was the areas of the European Natura 2000 network. The scale of land-cover flows (LCFs) changed within particular forms of protected areas, though afforestation and deforestation predominating in all area types. National reserves and parks were the most stable in terms of land cover structures. However, human settlements increased around the protected areas, potentially increasing threats to their ecological integrity.

Quantifying Transboundary Plastic Pollution in Marine Protected Areas Across the Mediterranean Sea

Micro- and macro-plastics pollution is a growing threat for marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and consequently human wellbeing. Numerical models that consider main sources of plastics and simulate their dispersal characteristics are unique tools for exploring plastic pollution in marine protected areas (MPAs). Here, we used a Lagrangian plastic drift model, taking into account various sizes/types of plastic litter, originating from major land-based sources (coastal cities and rivers), to predict plastic accumulation zones in protected areas of the Mediterranean Sea (i.e., nationally designated MPAs, Natura 2000 sites, and Cetacean Critical Habitats). The model predicted that the size of plastic litters plays a key role in their dispersion and ultimate destination (i.e., larger litter travel longer distances). Most of the studied Mediterranean countries (13 out of 15) had at least one national MPA with over 55% of macroplastics originating from sources beyond their borders. Consequently, in many cases, local efforts to reduce plastic pollution in protected areas would be insufficient, especially for macroplastics management. Transboundary collaboration among Mediterranean countries is critical for implementing successful management plans against plastic pollution in their territorial waters and specifically in MPAs.

Preserving and Presenting Heritage through Sustainable Energy Tourism: The Case of Kobarid in Slovenia

Energy tourism, which is quite recent despite the fact that the practice of tourists visiting power plants, very often for educational purposes, has a long tradition in Slovenia due to power plants on the Drava River. Particularly, the oldest Fala power plant is an area where the technical field of electric power production and transmission overlaps with tourism. The article that employs the methods of participant observation, interviews with some stakeholders and content analysis focuses on some possibilities of including electric power production and transmission infrastructure into various tourist and educational programmes, including through storytelling, which is a useful tool also when it comes to presenting sustainable and socially responsible project design, considering the needs of all stakeholders involved in the process and, consequently, raising awareness and responsibility towards the environment. Based on a case study of the Kobarid substation, which is a modern sustainably designed power facility built in a Natura 2000 protected area, this article focuses on the possibilities of creating new energy tourism products by employing storytelling, new media and new technologies.

INVERTEBRATES OF CONSERVATIVE INTEREST FROM PLATFORMA COTMEANA, A ROMANIAN NATURAL PROTECTED AREA

Current work was carried out in a Natura 2000 site of community importance, ROSCI 0354, Platforma Cotmeana, with a surface of 12.529 ha, located in the Central Southern part of Romania in a hilly area. The site is mainly dominated by broadleaf forest, from which 30% consists of beech species, an important habitat component for the studied species. Focal species of this research were: Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758), Cerambyx cerdo Linnaeus, 1758, and Morimus asper funereus Mulsant, 1862, as listed in the annex of EU Habitat Directive. For each species, numerical abundance, sex ratio, and other aspects of their biology were estimated. Habitat preference and the occurrence of individuals were recorded in order to evaluate their distribution in the site. Future perspectives on the status of the conservation of species in site were assessed by evaluation of human impact activities affecting the quality of their habitat. It was noted that most dominant species is L. cervus with an occurrence of 314 individuals, followed by M. asper funereus with 92 individuals, and C. cerdo with 41 individuals. An exoskeleton of Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) was found, fact explained by the limit of species distribution area in the site.

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #26 to #36

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 1510*, 2130*, 2250*, 3180*, 3260, 5230*, 6410, 7140, 7220*, 9320 are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 14 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 20 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Marche, Molise, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria.

Confirmation of the presence of steppe polecat Mustela eversmanii (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in Giurgiu County (Romania) after more than 5 decades

This paper confirms the presence of steppe polecat Mustela eversmanii in Giurgiu County after more than 50 years. Mustela eversmanii is considered a vulnerable species, being listed in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive. The specimen was found within the Site of Community Importance - ROSCI0043 Comana, included in the Natura 2000 network, which significantly overlaps with the protected natural area (Comana Natural Park). Currently, the steppe polecat is not added to the list of the Standard Form, because its presence was uncertain. We consider that this discovery is valuable and has important implications for the conservation of the species.