Lake Cerknica (685)
Slovenia, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Cerkniško jezero
Central coordinates: Latitude: 45.7500, Longitude: 14.3833
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 548 to 623
Area of KBA (km2): 33.58893
Protected area coverage (%): 97.72
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Lake Cerknica is situated on the largest polje (karst field) in Slovenia. A temporary eutrophic lake which is usually totally dry in summer and late winter, but with an area of 2,600 ha when full in spring and autumn. There are huge expanses of reed, sedge and wet grasslands. On the eastern border of the lake, there are remnants of a raised bog. The habitats have been little affected by man. There are a few settlements along the border of the IBA, especially to the north and east, the largest being Cerknica town with 3,000 inhabitants. The lake is historically famous for its underground water system, first described in 1689.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: Important numbers of the globally threatened Crex crex breed. Other species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Aythya nyroca (1-5 pairs, the most important breeding site in Slovenia; 10-25 birds on passage), Haliaeetus albicilla (2-5 birds feed in the area but do not breed). A total of 230 bird species have been recorded so far, of which 94 species have bred. Besides its international importance, the site has great value for nationally rare breeding species and nationally important numbers of waterbirds in winter and on passage.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (40%) | not utilised (40%) | tourism/recreation (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 30 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 70 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Wind-surfing, boating and angling cause disturbance to birds. To improve conservation of the lake, legal protection should be enforced, hunting on the lake should be completely banned, angling should be allowed only in certain areas, and planned tourism developments should be nature-friendly. Abandonment of extensive farming would lead to loss of wet grasslands and may be a problem in future, thus involvement of (and support for) local people is necessary. DOPPS founded a local group in 1995 to promote conservation in the area, and DOPPS has gathered and publicized information and proposals that justify the inclusion of Lake Cerknica in a proposed Regional Park, with support from SEN (Euronatur). Field surveys are ongoing, including annual nocturnal counting of Crex crex over the whole area.