Derdap gorge (3133)
Serbia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Đerdap
Central coordinates: Latitude: 44.5573, Longitude: 22.1262
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 45 to 803
Area of KBA (km2): 771.82
Protected area coverage (%): 80.91
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA is situated in northeastern parts of central Serbia and borders with Romania. The prime attribute and the most remarkable aspect of the relief of IBA is the grandiose Đerdap limestone gorge spanning almost 100 km in length. It is the longest incising gorge in Europe. Throught most parts of gorge, Danube is seized between steep, often vertical cliffs that rise up few hundred meters above river banks. The southern hinterland of the gorge is interspaced and dissected by erosive activities of numbers of the Danube's right tributaries. The highest peaks reach between 750 and 803 m above sea level. Outside the Danube rivercourse and rocky-cliff areas rest of a terrestrial parts was covered mostly with native European Beech forests. Inside IBA there is seven small settlements connected with magistral road M25-1.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Delineation rationale: 2014-10-14 (BL Secretariat): following Puzović (2009), site area changed from 65000 ha to 77095 ha; coordinates changed from 44.45N 22.167E to 44°26'17'N 22°9'24'E.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (5%) | forestry (60%) | hunting (5%) | nature conservation and research (95%) | not utilised (5%) | tourism/recreation (10%) | urban/industrial/transport (5%) | water management (5%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Areas(e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 10 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 5 | |
| Grassland | 7 | |
| Forest | 60 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 |