Stara mountains (3131)
Serbia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Stara planina
Central coordinates: Latitude: 43.4805, Longitude: 22.4455
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 400 to 2169
Area of KBA (km2): 1504.65381
Protected area coverage (%): 74.37
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Stara planina is a part of the Balkan mountain range, which represents the largest mountain massif in the region of South and East Serbia. It stretches across municipalities of Knjaževac and Zaječar, along the border with Bulgaria. The area is poorly populated, even though there are numerous settlements with the IBA. The area is very heterogeneous and represents a mosaic of arable land, deciduous forest groves, meadows and orchards in the valley towards Timok river and forested areas to the southtwards the hilly areas at the foothills of Stara Planina mountain.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Delineation rationale: 2014-10-14 (BL Secretariat): following Puzović (2009), site area changed from 44000 ha to 149782 ha; coordinates changed from 43.25N 22.75E to 43°20'17'N 22°37'37'E.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (10%) | forestry (40%) | hunting (60%) | nature conservation and research (10%) | not utilised (40%) | tourism/recreation (5%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 5 | |
| Forest | 26 | |
| Grassland | 44 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 14 | |
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 7 |