Shebenik National Park

Coordinates: 41°10′0″N 20°30′0″E / 41.16667°N 20.50000°E / 41.16667; 20.50000
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(Redirected from
Shebenik-Jabllanicë National Park
)
Shebenik National Park
Parku Kombëtar i Shebenikut
Official logo
Map showing the location of Shebenik National Park
Map showing the location of Shebenik National Park
Location within Albania
Map showing the location of Shebenik National Park
Map showing the location of Shebenik National Park
Shebenik National Park (Europe)
LocationElbasan County
Nearest townLibrazhd, Prrenjas
Coordinates41°10′0″N 20°30′0″E / 41.16667°N 20.50000°E / 41.16667; 20.50000
Area34,507.9 hectares (345.079 km2)
Designated21 May 2008 (2008-05-21)[1]
Governing body National Agency of Protected Areas

Shebenik National Park (

vegetation types
and remote location.

The park offers some of the most rugged scenery in the eastern section of country that were carved into their present shapes by the glaciers of the last ice age. It is home to 14 glacial lakes, the highest situated between 1,500 and 1,900 metres elevation above the Adriatic.[6] Small cirque glaciers are fairly common in the mountain ranges, situated in depressions on the side of many mountains. Two rivers flow and multiple smaller water sources flow through the park's area including the rivers of Qarrishte and Bushtrice, both of which are 22 km long. The park area is thought to contain one of the primary remaining ranges of the balkan lynx, a subspecies of the eurasian lynx.

Lake of Fushë Studnë

The park falls within the

endemic species
of plants, mammals and fungi. The park contains beech, fir, pines, and oak species as well as species such as
golden eagle, western capercaillie, and hazel grouse
.

The park is managed by a directorate subordinated to the

Important Plant Areas of international importance by Plantlife.[10]

History

In January 2022, the national park was extended from 33,894.25 hectares (338.9425 km2) to 34,507.9 hectares (345.079 km2).[11][12]

Geography

A panoramic view towards the park.

The Shebenik-Jabllanicë National Park is located in the north of the

border between Albania and North Macedonia in the eastern part of the country. It lies mostly between latitudes 41° and 10° N and longitudes 20° and 30° E. The park comprises 339.277 km2 (130.996 sq mi) in Elbasan County, forming an important section of the Southern European Green Belt because of being home to extremely valuable natural habitats, flora and fauna of international importance. The closest significant towns to the park are Librazhd and Prrenjas
.

The park has a diverse and complex

Jabllanicë.[13] The area shows a record of deposition that spans from the middle part of the triassic and jurassic period. Formed during the variscan orogeny, the mountains are predominantly formed by ultramafic and metamorphic rocks.[13] Nonetheless, calcareous
rocks are among the most common types of rock and often found in the south and southeastern sections of Shebenik.

The bedrock of the park stretches above the forest belt, primarily made of carbon and karst, and dates from the formation of the mountain chain.[13] The area is considerably dominated by mountains which were formed into their present shapes by the huge glaciers of the last ice age. Evidence of glacial action is found throughout the park visible in the form of u-shaped valleys, cirques and several bodies of water. Since the end of the ice ages, sediments deposited themselves on the bedrock, which explains why that region even today has extraordinary fertility.[13]

Under the Köppen climate classification, the park experiences mostly a moderately warm and rainy continental climate under strong influences of the mediterranean climate.[13] The climate is influenced by altitude with lower temperatures generally found at higher elevations. Mean annual precipitation ranges between 1,300 millimetres (51 inches) and 1,800 millimetres (71 inches) depending on geographic region and prevailing climate type inside the park.[6]

Biodiversity

Ecosystems

beech forests of Rrajcë are part of the UNESCO Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Albania.[14][8]

The national park features contrasting and diverse ecosystems, determined mainly by topography, climate, hydrology and geology.[15] Those factors vary as altitude increases and so create a variety of environments, where different plants grow together in communities, which in turn provide favorable habitats for a wide range of wildlife.

The

perennial and flowering plants
.

The

Macedonian pine are also to be found but beech is generally more abundant.[15][16]

Fauna

The balkan lynx is a subspecies of the eurasian lynx and is spread, although very rarely, across the park.[17]

The

Balkan Peninsula.[18]
The status of most species in the national park is unknown, due to incomplete or unavailable information.

There are approximately 30

gray wolf can be observed often around the park, alongside brown bears, although bears are less frequent.[22] Another study has indicated that the red and roe deer, another very rare mammals in the country, also live in the park.[19][23] It contains a variety of suitable habitats that support great populations of the least weasel, beech marten, stoat and the european badger as well. Though rarely seen, bats are fascinating creatures and represented with 18 species. The pastures, woodlands and scrublands are an important sanctuary of the greater horseshoe, lesser horseshoe and mediterranean horseshoe bat.[19]

The national park is home to more than 88 different species of birds associated to the presence of characteristic species of both european and mediterranean.[19] Diverse birds range across different habitats, while the proximity of trees, especially beech and pines, affords them good nesting opportunities. The golden eagle is found in areas with rocky terrain and mountains, while short-toed snake eagle is found wherever there are large bodies of water. The peregrine falcon is both a resident and a visitor of the national park, and nests notably on cliffs and rocks.

There are 10 species of

amphibians and 15 species of reptiles to be found in the national park. Some rare and endemic species includes the hermann's tortoise, blue-throated keeled lizard, smooth snake, black whipsnake and dice snake.[24]

Flora

cade juniper
, make up a rich understory of the forest floor.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shebenik.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jabllanica.

References

  1. ^ "Vendim Nr. 640 (21. Mai 2008): Për shpalljen "Park kombëtar" të ekosistemit natyror Shebenik-Jabllanicë" (PDF). mjedisi.gov.al (in Albanian). p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-10.
  2. ^ "RRJETI I ZONAVE TE MBROJTURA NE SHQIPERI" (PDF). Albanian Ministry of Environment, Forests and Water Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  3. ^ "Proclamation of the natural ecosystem of Shebenik – Jabllanica as a "National Park"". Cat Specialist Group.
  4. ^ "KORA: Home". Archived from the original on 2017-06-10. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  5. ^ Andrew Terry, Karin Ullrich, Uwe Riecken. "The Green Belt of Europe From Vision to Reality" (PDF). portals.iucn.org. p. 70.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment of Albania (2009). Shebeniku Jabllanica Hiking Map
  7. ^ Euronatur. "Report of the Excursion to Ancient Beech Forests in Albania and Macedonia" (PDF). euronatur.org. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  8. ^ a b c Euronatur. "BEECH FORESTS ALONG THE GREEN BELT ALBANIA" (PDF). euronatur.org. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  9. ^ "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  10. IUCN, World Wide Fund for Nature, Plantlife. "Important Plant Areas of the south and east Mediterranean region" (PDF). portals.iucn.org. p. 75.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  11. ^ "Vendime të miratuara në mbledhjen e Këshillit të Ministrave, datë 26 Janar 2022" (in Albanian). Kryeministria. 26 January 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Parku Kombëtar Shebenik" (in Albanian). Alb Natyra. 17 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e Slavčo Hristovski, Borislav Guéorguiev, Trajče Mitev, Gjorge Ivanov, Martina Trajkovska. "Ground beetles (Carabidae, Coleoptera) of Jablanica Mt.(Macedonia) and Shebenik Mt. (Albania)" (PDF). researchgate.net.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Site. "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe". whc.unesco.org.
  15. ^ a b c d e Agricultural University of Tirana. "Types of natural habitats in Shebenik – Jabllanica national park" (PDF). ajas.ubt.edu.al. Tirana. pp. 1–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  16. IUCN Red List Caković, D., Gargano, D., Matevski, V. and Shuka, L. "Pinus heldreichii, Heldreich's Pine" (PDF). iucnredlist.org. p. 6.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link
    ]
  17. ^ European Green Belt. "Balkan Green Belt as Ecological Corridor for Wolf, Bear and Lynx". europeangreenbelt.org.
  18. IUCN, European Green Belt. "The Green Belt of Europe From Vision to Reality" (PDF). europeangreenbelt.org. pp. 144–146. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  19. ^ a b c d "MAMMAL SURVEY SHEBENIK-JABLLANICE NATIONAL PARK ALBANIA 2015" (PDF). zoogdiervereniging.nl.
  20. ISBN 9782831709451.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  21. IUCN Red List. "Lynx lynx ssp. balcanicus, Balkan Lynx - Errata version"
    (PDF). iucnredlist.org. p. 3.
  22. ^ European Commission. "Status, management and distribution of large carnivores – bear, lynx, wolf & wolverine – in Europe" (PDF). ec.europa.eu.
  23. IUCN, European Green Belt. "The Green Belt of Europe From Vision to Reality" (PDF). europeangreenbelt.org. pp. 77–78. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  24. IUCN. "Service Procurement Notice: Protected Areas and Ecological Network Expert" (PDF). iucn.org. p. 7. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
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