UNESCO Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve - Canada - Krydor

Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve is situated in the province of Saskatchewan in the south-west of Canada, covering 112,200 hectares. The regional landscape is composed of rolling prairie, dotted with seasonal ponds and marshes, along with aspen/shrub groves. The core area is a saline lake with several islands. There are small patches of natural mixed prairie which is very rare in this highly grazed and cultivated part of the prairies. Redberry Lake is an important site for the conservation of several significant species of birds. It provides habitat for nine endangered, threatened, or rare...

UNESCO Waterton Biosphere Reserve - Canada - Waterton Park

Waterton Biosphere Reserve and National Park is situated in the extreme south-west of the Province of Alberta and encompasses a section of the east slopes of the Rocky Mountains extending from the Continental Divide to the edge of the Canadian Great Plains to the east. The Glacier Biosphere Reserve and National Park in Montana, USA is located to the south of the area. The steep environmental gradients from the Continental Divide to the prairies have created an unusual rich mosaic of habitats with their associated flora and fauna. The biosphere reserve covers prairie grasslands, aspen grove...

Untamala - Network Natura 2000 - Finland - Laitila

The area is one of the most remarkable landscape areas of the country. The mosaic landscape has been formed over a very long period of interaction between man and nature. There are dwelling places from the Stone Age (7300-1300 BC) and bronze age burrows (1300-500 BC) and in addition dozens of prehistoric remains from the Iron Age (500 BC - 1150 AD). The area is situated beside Turku-Rauma highway including representative ancient dry meadows. Meadows host representative traditional rural biotope species such as Armeria maritima, Thymus serpyllum, Artemisia campestris and Verbascum nigrum and...

Uzungöl Natural Park - Turkey - Köknar

The 1625 hectares of the park were designated as a Nature Park in 1989 because of the rich plant life, wildlife and sightseeing potential. The dominant tree species is Eastern spruce, and there are also badger, bearded, alder, horn-beam, hazelnut, oak, mountain elm and silver birch trees. Species of animals include mountain goat, roe deer, bear, wolf, wild boar, marten, badger, lynx, jackal, fox, rabbit, squirrel, wild ducks, birds of prey, trout and various kinds of reptiles. The most important river in the area is the Demirkapi, and the Uzungol Lake was formed as a result of the rocks...

Val da Fain - Italy - Livigno

Val da Fain = Hey valley, a nature protection zone very rich in biodiversity. A good entry point is the Alp la Stretta (at 2427 meter altitude). The neighbouring valley minor "val minor" is also worth a visit. It bears a magical atmosphere with its lake and the mines (witness of the gold rush in the 12. to 17. century). Adapted from "Unbekannte Schweizer Täler", Paul Rothenhäusler & Edmond van Hoorick

Val di Carassino - Switzerland - Blenio

A good entry point for this hike through the valley Carassino is Aquilesco (Postcar) or Lago Luzzone. In order to reach this parklike valley wanderers need to transit two "human"-tunnels (one 800 meters). Frei adaptiert nach: Unbekannte Schweizer Täler, Paul Rothenhäusler & Edmond van Hoorick

Vallées de la Loire et de ses affluents - Network Natura 2000 - France - Notre-Dame-d'Allençon

Wet meadows are still well preserved, with a remarquable diversity of vegetation associations following soil moisture degree. Th meadows conservation is very satisfactory thanks to agri-environmental measures which permetted to resist to land abandonment and replacement of meadows by wood production (poplars). The site also consists of an interesting diversity of aquatic and humid groupments. It is a vast complex of alluvial wetlands on 3 valleys : Mayenne, Sarthe & Loir, the whole of it consisting of large surfaces of alluvial mesophilous meadows. It also presents an important landscape...

Verdon River Canyon - France - La Palud-sur-Verdon

Departure from Point Sublime (D 952 6 km from La Palud sur Verdon to Castellane), red and white markings on the GR 4 and GR 49, marking "lizard" for others. The Verdon River is no longer the river it once was. It has been controlled over the last fifty years by hydroelectric dams that have greatly changed image of the river. It is this remarkable natural setting, which invites you to walk and to discover the richness of its fauna and flora.

Vértes Protected Landscape Area - Hungary - Oroszlány

The Vértes is the middle section of the Transdanubia Mountains, situated between the ranges of Bakony and Gerecse. Its average height is 350 meters with no more than about 480 m peak altitudes. Still, when viewed from the surrounding flatland, the Vértes impresses the spectator as a much higher mountain, owing mainly to the sharp cleft of its edges. In the Middle Ages, the Vértes was from all sides surrounded by deeply set swampy pastures. As a result of continuous draining efforts, the marshland of the past is hardly traceable today. Some remains of what used to be...

Vinska pot Rogatec - Slovenia - Rogatec

The Rogatec Wine Route runs through the Rogaška Slatina-Tlake-Lehno-Rogatec winegrowing district with side trips between Rogatec and Trška gorca, Lehno and Donačka gora, and Lehno and Rogatec. Along with locally produced vegetables, fruit, flowers, and wines, the Wine Route also offers cultural and ethnographic attractions.

Viri Zivljenja - Slovenia - Črnomelj

The project aims to preserve and restore the small springs, which would serve as important alternative sources of drinking water, and ''kale'' and a certain village ponds, which would contribute to the preservation of ecological balance, biodiversity and providing a favorable status of endangered species and habitat types in the protected areas, with emphasis on the species which are under the directive of priority habitat in protected areas, Natura 2000, and have already been declared in Slovenia, and are in the process of creating in Croatia. 

Vladila Forest - Romania - Vlădila

In this site proposed for the Natura 2000 network, there are two sites in the county that have Panonian woods type of habitatus with Quercus pubescens, whose preserving is a priority.

vPark Pirode Biokovo - Croatia - Makarska

The Natural Park Biokovo lies within the following boundaries: along the road from the Dubci pass on the Adriatic highway to Novaki, then along the foot of the steep slope to the hamlet of Bartulovići, then to the village of Topići and north of the quarry to the old village of Bast, across Smokvina to the source of the Jablan, then off along the route from Žlib hamlet-Veliko brdo to the village of Makar and under the steep slope of the village of Kotišina, to the hamlet of Potpeć-Tučepi, then along the foot of the steep slope to the edge of Staza Wood, after that along the...

Wahner Heide (Heath) - Germany - Troisdorf

100 breeding bird species, more than 2500 species of beetles, more than 700 species on the Red List - the Wahner Heide with its 5000 acre reserve can be regarded as the richest Nature Reserve of North Rhine-Westphalia ...

Warta Mouth National Park - Poland - Sulęcin County

Formed in 2001 Warta Mouth National Park covers a surface of 8074 hectares. It lies neare the Polish-German border, in a fragment of Toruń-Eberswald proglacial stream valley, the so called Gorzów Valley. Flat, wide terrains of the Park are situaded within the lower bench of Warta River. The Warta River flowing through the middle of the Park is a natural border between two areas, Northern Polder and the floodland. The floodland is a semi-natural area in which annual water level fluctuations may reach up to 4 meters with its maximum in the spring months (March and April). The...

Weissensee - Austria - Techendorf

The nature park Weissensee lies embedded between the valleys of the rivers Drau and Gail in the southwest of Carinthia. Two thirds of the lakeside, situated 930m above sea level, are still not built upon. A particularity of the region is the missing of a road connection between the western and eastern shores. Nature lovers can cross the lake by ship, or circle around it by bicycle and on foot. Due to favorable climate conditions a great variety of flora is given.  

Westweg - Germany - Dobel

Several days of hiking through the Schwarzwald from Pforzheim to Basle (Switzerland). On the hike along the Enztal to Dobel you'll be seeing bogs, the Wildsee (lake) and Hornsee (lake). Further you'll reach the top of the Hohloh (Mountain with a Bog-lake). Other destinations are Murgvalley, Hornisgrinde, Kinzigtal and Hausdach. The whole route is about 279 km, it is part of the european long distance paths   

Wigry National Park - Poland - suwalski

Wigry National Park is located in the north-east part of Poland, in Podlaskie Voivodeship. Its northern part lies within the East Suwalki Lakeland, while the southern part within the Augustow Plain. The Park was established in 1989 over the area of 14,956 ha. Currently, its area is 15,086 ha and includes 9,464 ha of forests, 2,908 ha of waters, and 2,714 ha of other, mostly agricultural land (2,229 ha). 623 ha which consists of 120 ha of forests are strictly protected. Agriculturally managed areas are encompassed by landscape protection.

Wildnispark Zürich - Switzerland - Horgen

The Sihlwald is a forest where logging has been stopped since 2000. In addition, dead wood is not removed, therefore, the natural succession can be studied. The park offers a well maintained system of hiking trails, a restaurant and a playground for kids. 

Wolin and Uznam - Poland - Police County

River estuaries are always sites valuable for nature. The same can be said about the Odra estuary. The area is characterized by the rich lay of the land formed by withdrawing continental glacier. It has high natural value and is in great part protected as the Wolinski National Park. This is a habitat of many species of fauna and protected plants with many objects of inanimate nature. Wolin and Uznam islands are considered valuable site of community importance within the European Natura 2000 Network. Ecosystem Rich and diverse ecosystem of the islands consist of: flat and low area of a...

Wzgorza Bukowe - Poland - Szczecin

Puszcza Bukowa (The Beech Primeval Forest) is a natural object unique in interregional scale mostly because of huge area of very diverse beech forests. Due to a rich lay of the land, fertility of habitats and long tradition of protection of the object - forests in the area have natural character. In local landscape much lesser role than forest habitats play agricultural lands (fields, arable green lands and orchards). Wzgorza Bukowe have been taken under protection with regard to habitats mentioned in 1 Appendix of the Habitats Directive. Ecosystem Whole range of forest communities with...

Zalew Wislany and Mierzeja Wislana - Poland - Krynica Morska

Zalew Wislany and Mierzeja Wislana refuge protects richness of flora and fauna species connected with water-swamp habitats and coastal dunes. 18 habitats specified in 1 Appendix of the Habitats Directive can be identified within the area of the site. The refuge lies on the way of spring and autumn passages of thousands of birds which rest here. Grey seal - rare guest at Polish coast - appears here regularly. Ecosystem The refuge is dominated by water habitats which cover more than 70% of its area. In shallow waters occur various communities of water and marsh vegetation. The rushes create...

Zasavica - Special Nature Reserve - Serbia - Zasavica I

The Reserve stretches along 33.1 km long Zasavica River. The area is dominated by a riverine biotope, surrounded by the mosaic of aquatic and wetland ecosystems with fragments of flooded forests. The slow flowing Zasavica river is fed by underground aquifers and with a depth of up to 2.5 m, it supports abundant marsh vegetation mostly reed Phragmites sp. and bulrush Typha sp. The site is surrounded by agricultural land, and remnants of forest remain (oak Quercus, ash Fraxinus, poplar Populus and willow Salix). SNR “Zasavica” is famous as one of the centres for the conservation...

Zatoka Pucka and Polwysep Helski - Poland - Jastarnia

The refuge which encompasses the Puck Bay and the Hel Peninsula is the area of special natural, cultural and landscape qualities, which have been developed under influence of the sea. Big and shallow Zatoka Pucka is one of few such places in Poland. Special attention should be paid to rich and diverse communities of vegetation, as well as grey seals and harbour porpoises which appear here quite often. Zatoka Pucka and Polwysep Helski is the Site of Community Ecosystem A dominating element of the refuge is Zatoka Pucka waters, which covers 80% of the area. Fauna of the region is...

Zemaitija National Park - Network Natura 2000 - Lithuania - Plungė

The borough of Plateliai, first mentioned in the 15th century, also includes Žemaitija national park, brimming with aspects of Lithuania’s heritage – traditions, old architecture, local culinary, handicrafts, and the customs of that region. The Žemaitija national park is the land of the ethnic group Samogitians. The region borders the lake that gives the area its name – the deepest and largest in Žemaitija. The individual interactions with stakeholders are propagated as an effective form to promote conservation of biodiversity and to solve the specific cases related...

Zillertaler Alpen - Austria - Mayrhofen

This Nature Park is embedded in the high mountain landscape of the Central Alps in the furthest most remote part of the Zillertal, on the border of South Tyrol and Salzburg. The park creates a more peaceful zone compared to the higher developed parts of the Zillertal region. Over an area double the size of the country of Liechtenstein are mountain peaks, glaciers, juicy alms, mountain meadows and rare swiss stone pine woods.  

Zirbitzkogel-Grebenzen - Austria - Neumarkt in der Steiermark

Embedded in a mountain wreath which encloses the region like a precious stone there lies the Nature Park Zirbitzkogel-Grebenzen. With romantic villages and idyllic pond sceneries and marshy landscapes the scenery stamped from the last ice age offers a special resting place of nature. The new basic idea of the region is called “Learn to read Nature”, which invites people to find out about the secrets of nature and asks to look more exactly, to understand and use it. 

Zona umida Valfloriana - Italy - Valfloriana

Questo biotopo, sito Natura 2000, ospita un gran numero di specie animali e vegetali rarissime e presenta un elevato grado di naturalità originaria, ovvero possiede integrità e continuità ecologiche. Per la sua dislocazione geografica, è un territorio ancora scarsamente antropizzato e perciò poco alterato dalle attività umane. Vi si rinvengono una ventina di torbiere che ospitano un gran numero di specie vegetali rare, tra cui Drosera intermedia, Vaccinium oxycoccus e Carex pauciflora che possono essere considerati relitti glaciali. I...

Zumberak-Samoborsko gorje - Croatia - Žumberak

The area of Žumberak and the Samoborsko gorje (Samobors’s surrounding hills) was designated a nature park as a protected natural resource by the Act of the Croatian parliament on 28th May, 1999. A nature park is a vast wild or partly cultivated area of countryside and/or sea, ecologically valuable on international or national level with important countryside, educational, cultural, historical, tourist and recreational resources. Žumberak - Samoborsko gorje Nature Park covers around 333 km². Its basic aim is to protect and promote environmental and cultural beauties and resources...