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NATURAL MONUMENTS
(IN MACEDONIA) - PART II
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PROTECTED REGIONS OF THE TERRITORY OF MACEDONIA
In accordance with international criteria, the natural legacy of the Republic of Macedonia has been valorized and placed under protection with special regulations. Protected regions have been placed into 10 categories according to IUCN criteria, or into 6 categories according to the law for protection of natural rarities, passed in 1976.
STRICT NATURAL RESERVES
Ezerani, Lake Prespa
The Ezerani Reserve, located between the villages Sirhan and Asamarl, is
the most interesting part around Lake Prespa.
It is characterised by a large diversity of representatives from the ornitho
fauna. There are 96 species of birds identified at Lake Prespa today. These
data include only those species that are connected to the water environment
throughout their entire life cycle. Of these 96 species, 61 are listed as
strictly protected species (according to the Bern Convention); 3
sspecies (Pelecanus crispus, curly-headed pelican; Pelecanus onocrotalus,
white pelican; and Haliaeetus albicilla, white-tailed eagle) are on the
list of most strictly protected species of international significance (Bonn
Convention). Three species of birds (Pelecanus crispus, curly-headed pelican;
Phalacrocorax pygmaeus, small cormorant; and Haliaeetus albicilla, white-tailed
eagle) from Lake Prespa are on the European "Red List" of globally
endangered species of animals and plants.
Tikvesh in the gorge of the River Crna
Tikve
was declared a strict natural reserve in 1997. It is situated in the most
scenic part 
of
the gorge on the River Crna, with a total area of 10 650 ha.
The reserve is characterized by an abundant variety of flora and vegetation.
Of the wood species one that is especially notable is the eastern Mediterranean
Arbutus andrachne ("bare man"). It is found in only one other
place on the territory of Macedonia, in the gorge on the River Konjska,
near Gevgelija. Also found here are the magnificent chasmophithic species
Campanula formanekiana, Lilium candidum, and the local endemic Verbascum
macedonicum.
The reserve is characterized by an abundance of ornithologic species, especially
of predatory birds, which are treated as endangered animal species both
in Europe and in the rest of the world. 
The reserve represents one of the most significant locations of predatory
birds in Europe. Specifically, of the 39 species of European predatory birds,
35 have been registered in Macedonia. Twenty-three of these come to the
reserves. Of these, 17 species are nesting birds. Three species are on the
World Red List (most endangered birds): Aegipus monachus, Aquila heliaca,
and Falco neumanii, while on the European Red List, there are 14 species:
Gypaetus barbatus, Neophron percnopterus, Gyps fulvus, Aquila
chrysaetus, Hieraetus fasciatus, Hieraetus pennatus, Circaetus gallicus,
Pandion halaetus, Buteo rufinus, Pernis apivoris, Accipiter brevipes, Milvus
migrans, Falco pere&rinus and Falco biarmicus.
NATIONAL PARKS
Mavrovo
Mavrovo
was declared a national park in 1949 and covers an area of 73 088 ha. It
is the largest national park in Macedonia. It is located on the southern
parts of the .ar Mountains, the western and central parts of Mt. Bistra,
and parts of the Korab and Deshat Mountains.
Due to the high vertical span (from 700 m to 2764 m), biological diversity
in the Mavrovo National Park is rich and is characterized by a large number
of plant species, plant communities, and animals.
Forest communities cover a large part of the national park, and these are
represented by a large number of associations. These can be broken down
into several ecological groups. The influence of the Mediterranean climate
can be seen in the lowest parts of the park and determines the growth of
thermophylic vegetation.
Beech and beech-pine forests are found mostly in the park, while the spruce
(Picea abies) inside the park is of a local character. It 
can
be found in only one location: the upper basin of the River Adina, which
is its most southern areal on the Balkan Peninsula.
One of the biggest peat bogs in Macedonia, Lukovo Pole, lies in
the northwest part of Mavrovo
National Park at an altitude of 2150 m. A swampy vegetation of the Carex
vulpina species grows in this area and is characteristic of the lowland
regions of central Europe.
A large number of local and Balkan relicts and endemic species of plants,
as well as some rare species, including Ramonda serbiea, Achillea corabensis,
Dianthus macedonicus, Solenanthus seardicus, Viola gostivarensis, Crepis
macedonica, Fritillaria macedonica, Ranunculus degenii, Draba korabensis,
Ranunculus wettsteinii, Colchicum pieperianum, Saxifraga moschata, Narthecium
scardicum, Aesculus hippoeastanum, and Acer heldreichii are found within
the limits of this national park.
The fauna of the Mavrovo National Park are also characterised by significant
diversity. Particularly important are the gray falcon (Falco peregrinus),
the imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos),
the forest owl (Strix aluco), the large owl (Bubo bubo), the marsh harrier
(Circus pygargus), and the pallid harrier (Circus macrourus). Most important
of the mammals are the bear (Ursus arctos), the lynx (Lynx lynx), the wild
goat (Rupieapra rupicapra), and the wildcat (Fells silvestris).
Pelister
Pelister
was declared a national park in 1948 and covers an area of 22 750 ha. Among
the plant communities, the "molika" forests take up the largest
area, covering a total of 1174 
ha.
Molika-fir, molika-beech, molikabeechfir, beech, and oak-beech forests can
also be found. The five-needle pine molika (Pinus peuce), autochtonous species
with Tertial age and which grows only on a few mountains in the Balkan Peninsula,
is a particularly significant floral element. It reaches its ecological
optimal growth at an altitude of 1000 m to more than 2000 m on Pelister
Mountain. Several local and Balkan endemic plants, such as Crocus peh'stericus,
Dianthus myrtinervius, 5empervivum octopodes, Sernpervivum marmoreum, Pedicularis
orthantha,
Ranunculus incomparabilis, Viola doerfleri, Dianthus stenopetalus, Viola
velutina, Viola parvula and Alchemilla peristerica can be found in the higher
mountain areas.
Vertebrate fauna in the Pelister National Park are represented by 195 species
(12 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 130 birds, and 37 mammals.) Included in these
are the bear, roe deer, lynx, wild goat, deer, wild boar, partridge (Alectoris
graeca), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), nuthatch (Tichodroma muraria),
and the red-beak bird (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax). The presence of the endemic
Pelister trout (5almo peristericus) is significant among the fishes.
Galiica
Galiica
was declared a national park in 1958 and covers an area of 22 750 ha. It
is found in the far southwestern part of Macedonia between Lake Ohrid and
Lake Prespa.
Galiica Mountain represents a special phenomenon. Its geological composition
is limestone, but because of its ffloral composition, it differs., considerably
from the other limestone massifs in western Macedonia. The reason for this
distinction ir floral composition is the geological past and the presence
of both lakes Especially notable here are the large number of south Balkan
species characteristic of the mountains of Greece, as well as the presence
of some Mediterranean an Submediterranean species such as Convolvulus althaeoides
subsp, tenuissimus, Hyssopus officinalis subsp, pilifer, 
Biarum
tenuifolium, Jurine. taygetea, Lilium heldreichii, Anchusa serpentinicola,
Rindera graeca, Berberis croatica, 5ideritis raeseri and others. A significant
component of the floral diversity of this mountain is the numerous relict
and endemic species, including Astragalus mayeri, Centaurea soskae, Centaurea
tornorosii, Crocus cvijicii, Dianthus galicicae, Helichrysum zivojinii,
Laserpitium ochridanum, Microrneria kosaninii, Nepeta ernesti-mayeri, Ajuga
piscoi, Ramonda serbica, Aesculus hippocastanum and others.
In the park are 10 species of amphibians, 17 species of reptiles, 124 species
of birds, and 40 species of mammals.
NATURAL MONUMENTS
Lake Dojran
Lake Dojran is the remnant of the past diluvial Lake Peon, which was created
tectonically. It is located in the southeastern part of Macedonia at an
altitude of 148 m. It is a border lake with a total area of 43.1 km2, of
which 27.2 km2 belong to the Republic of Macedonia and 19.5 km2 belong to
Greece. The maximum length of Lake Dojran is approximately 9 kin, the maximum
width is 7 kin, and the average depth is 6.7 m.
It is included in the group of eutrophic lakes, and its biologic diversity
is especially important. The lake is a significant natural habitat and represents
a biocorridor where migratory species of birds, especially water foul, stop
on migratory routes. The lake is world-famous, especially for the traditional
fishing technique, utilizing cormorant birds, that takes place during the
winter period
Unfortunately, however, the uncontrolled use of the lake waters by the Republic
of Greece has dropped the water level to such an extent that its very existence
has been endangered.
PLACES OF WORLD INTEREST
Lake Ohrid
Lake
Ohrid, nominated in the world list of UNESCO in 1980, is located in the
deep tectonic 
valley
of the gar-Pind massif at an altitude of 694 m and has a surface area of
358.14 km2 and maximum depth of 294.67 m.
Lake Ohrid shaped in the form of terraces is characterized by an abundance
of species of flora and fauna. It is the natural habitat of numerous fresh-water
organisms, especially of old evolutionary endemic species, such as some
species of silicate algae (Diatomaceae) sponges (Tricladida, Ostracoda)
and snails,
Castropodae). More than two thirds of the snails are endemic. Seventeen
autochtonous species of fish live in Lake Ohrid, of which 
the
Ohrid Trout (Salmo letnica), "belvica" (Salmothymus ochridanus),
and "moranec" (Pachychylon pictus) are particularly significant.
Lake Prespa
Lake Prespa was nominated for the World Ramsar List in 1995. It is situated
in the southern part of Macedonia and covers an area of 274 km2 of which
177 km2 (64.6 %) belongs to the Republic of Macedonia. The lake lies in
a tectonic valley between the Baba and Galiica Mountains. The lake was formed
naturally through tectonic movement of the ground and filling of the basin
with water. The deepest point of the lake is 54 m. A unique natural phenomenon
of the lake is the movement of its waters underneath the Gali:ica mountain
massif and its flowing into Lake Ohrid.
The most significant component of the biodiversity of this lake is the ornithofauna,
represented by 105 species of birds.
After an ecological assessment of the ornithofauna of this lake was carried
out, it was concluded that two species of birds are endangered and their
protection is of special European interest. These are the curly-headed pelican
(Pelecanus crispus) and the blackbird (Aythya nyroca).
The abundance of Balkan and local endemic species and of relict species
is the most significant characteristic of the Macedonian flora and fauna.
The natural reserves, Ezerani and Tikve; the national parks, Pelister, Mavrovo,
and Gali(ca; and the lakes of global significance, Ohrid, Prespa, and Dojran,
are particularly important natural resources of Macedonia.
Ministry of information of Republic of Macedonia
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