Almost a third of the country in protected areas
Many might ask why go to Slovakia. One of the simplest answers: "For its nature and breathtaking scenery", because yes, it's true, if you love nature, you'll feel right at home in Slovakia. Nine national parks protect regions of ecological interest: Malá Fatra, Muránska planina, Nízke Tatry, Pieninsky, Poloniny, Slovensky Kras, Slovensky raj, Vysoké Tatry and Velká Fatra. The National Nature Conservancy (Štátna ochrana prírody), a non-profit government organization, is responsible for managing these protected areas throughout the country. It implements protection policies to safeguard ecosystems and biodiversity. The majority of Slovakia's national parks are in mountainous areas. If we add the thirteen protected landscapes and the thousand protected areas, we arrive at a total of around 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 with a high heritage value due to the exceptional flora and fauna they contain. As of December 2018, Slovakia had 683 sites, including: 41 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds covering an area of 13,105 km² and 642 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for habitats and species covering an area of 6,151 km². The total surface area is 14,633 km², representing 30% of Slovakia's land surface.
A rich fauna
Slovakia has a particularly rich and well-preserved animal life, thanks in particular to the early creation of parks and protected areas that safeguard species from the ravages of human development. The bond between man and animal has never been broken in Slovakia, which is why cohabitation with these "ferocious" animals in the popular imagination is still possible for Slovaks today. It is estimated that around 1,200 bears and 600 wolves live in the coniferous forests of the high mountains in central and northern Slovakia. However, in the mid-twentieth century, only twenty bears still lived in Slovakia. Strict protection measures (hunting bans, regulation of logging and of entry into areas frequented by bears) have enabled the population to increase dramatically. The high-altitude coniferous forests are also home to a large population of lynx - a rarity in Europe - wildcats, chamois, marmots, woodpeckers, squirrels, bullfinches, crossbills, capercaillies, deer, hares, black storks and black partridges. Imperial eagles nest in lower-altitude forests. There are also many wild boar, wild cats, dormice, wood snakes, kites and nightingales. The Danube plains are home to cormorants, avocets, bitterns, European orioles, herons, white-tailed eagles, black kites and green woodpeckers. The plains are home to partridge, quail, corncrake, hamster, hare and, less commonly, bustard and curlew.
Streams and rivers are home to trout, carp, sturgeon and burbot. A strange species of shrimp, a survivor from the Ice Age, can still be found in Lake Furkotské in the Vysoké Tatry mountains (High Tatras). Among the amphibians living in freshwater and wetlands, Slovakia boasts wood and field frogs, Carpathian newts and crested newts, as well as the marsh turtle, Slovakia's only living turtle. And on the banks of its rivers, Slovakia occasionally sees otters and beavers.
Slovakia has no oceans or seas, but it does boast a number of large lakes, including Vel'ké Hincovo pleso and Lake Orava. The Danube and Vah rivers also flow through Slovakia. These aquatic environments are home to rare fauna such as the horned grebe, black-legged kittiwake and 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 is widespread in Slovakia. Most are family-run, private ranches often used for tourism. In the countryside, some inhabitants are involved in poultry farming, particularly chickens, ducks and turkeys. Domestic pigs and rabbits are also popular pets. In the mountainous areas of Slovakia, particularly in the Liptov and Orava regions, sheep and cattle farming is common, 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 in a defined territory, in this case Slovakia. Among invertebrates, these include the pretty blue slug Bielzia coerulans, the zygene butterfly and the filipendula. Slovakia's endemic species also include the Tatra chamois and wild marmot, and the boreal lynx. Europe's largest flying bird, the great bustard, is found in the Dropie protected area near Komárno. Finally, in the Topoľčianky protected area near Zlaté Moravce, bison, deer and horses are raised and bred.
Dangerous animals
In deciduous forests, there's a risk of infection by ticks, so it's advisable to use insect repellents before entering the forest, and to check all parts of your body thoroughly after a walk in the woods. In the wild, it's also possible to come into contact with venomous animals. The only truly venomous snake in Slovakia is the northern viper. It can live in a variety of habitats, from wetlands such as riverbanks to sunny clearings on mountain slopes. As a result, you need to be careful when staying in certain areas, especially when foraging. In the event of a sting, first aid must be administered immediately. A bite from a hornet, wasp or bee can also be dangerous, especially for allergy sufferers.
More than 3,000 species of plants
During the Quaternary, Slovakia's climate changed several times, affecting the specific composition of the flora. Some species have survived to the present day, while others have disappeared. Progressive warming, however, has spread new plant species. Slovakia's flora is rich in both numbers and species, mainly due to its mild climate and varied geological subsoil. 40% of Slovakia's territory is covered by particularly well-preserved forests, the country's most precious natural asset. These are popular places to relax, visited every year by many hikers and cyclists. The flora of the plains, like that of the mountains, is richly represented, with a total of over 3,000 plant species, 92 of which are endemic. As altitude increases, plant composition changes. Thus, from 100 to 400 m you'll find 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 Slovakia's warmer regions. In these areas, the flora consists of forests of oak, small-leaved lime, birch, maple, walnut, hornbeam, ash, acacia and hazel. The riverbanks are lined with alluvial forests of willow and alder, mainly at altitudes of 250-300 m. This lowland territory is rich in black elder, ivy and hawthorn, and man-made orchards of fruit trees, including apple, pear, plum, cherry, apricot, peach and blackcurrant, and pretty flowers such as roses, daffodils and tulips. Finally, the sunny foothills of the mountain slopes are home to famous vineyards, for example around Pezinok, Modra or Nitra.
The flora of the mountains
Mountain flora is divided into several sub-regions, including several of Slovakia's mountains 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, the basis of stable 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 Poloniny National Park to its World Heritage List in 2007. They are typical of higher altitudes. Other deciduous tree species include winter oak, black alder, hazelnut, common ash, warty birch, aspen and field elm.
At altitudes above 1,000 m, coniferous forests are found. Slovak representatives of this species include silver fir, Norway 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 sparse, 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 central European location and environmental conditions, Slovakia also boasts 92 endemic species that are wholly or almost wholly linked 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, Soldanella(Thlaspi jankae) and Wahlenberg mustard. Slovakia also boasts a rich heritage of relict and protected species, i.e. virtually extinct plants from ancient times. One example is the spring adonis. The best-known protected plants include Clusius gentian, edelweiss and alpine aster. There are also many medicinal plants in Slovakia, which the locals gather themselves before drying and infusing on long winter evenings.
