Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area

The protected landscape area Cerová Highlands (Slovak Chranena krajinná oblasť Cerová Highlands ) is a nature reserve in south-central Slovakia. It covers a large part of the highlands Cerová Highlands ( " Turkey oak - mountain land"), which belongs to the Western Carpathians. The area lies entirely within the political district Banskobystrický kraj ( Okresy Lučenec and Rimavská Sobota ) and covers an area of ​​167.71 km ².

The seat of government is located in Rimavská Sobota. The nature reserve was proclaimed in 1989 and changed the law in question in 2001.

Geography

The conservation area is located in southern Slovakia at the Slovak-Hungarian border. The limits do not include the entire mountain country, but only the most valuable parts and avoid built-up areas, with the exception of the municipalities Šiatorská Bukovinka and Hajnáčka. In Cerová Highlands is an extinguished volcano mountains, whose origin dates back to the age of the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Before there was towards the end of the Tertiary basalt eruptions of volcanoes, which lasted until the older Quaternary, with lava, ash and other products of volcanism had filled the valleys. Then there was a relief inversion, that is, from the former mountain ridges were covered valleys and from the valleys of volcanic rocks created new ridge. Until today you can by erosion processes altered volcanic cone ( Ragáč ), volcanic vents ( Hajnáčsky hradný vrch, Soví hrad ), Lavateppiche and currents ( Pohanský hrad, Medves ) visit. At Castle Somoska (municipality Šiatorská Bukovinka ) is a basalt formation, the so-called stone waterfall, a series of five - and six-sided basalt beams.

The rivers Ipeľ and Rimava drain the area. The highest elevations are the Karanč ( 725 m nm) and Šiator (660 m nm).

Flora and Fauna

Forests cover about 60 % of the Protected Landscape Area. Due to the warm climate, ranging from the Pannonian Basin in Hungary up here, grow predominantly heat-loving species such as sessile oak, English oak and Turkey oak. At the colder northern slopes Book grow. To date, more than 1,250 plant species are known, divided on forest and rock types. Some protected species are eg the Black Meadow anemone, crown campion, dwarf iris, Yellow bubble bush, gold beard grass and several species of the genus of the spring grasses.

The area belongs to the forest-steppe and steppe zone, so the area is rich in many species of butterflies (Scarce Swallowtail and dovetail ) and beetles (such as nine species of the Real beetles and stag beetles). In the dry layers of several species of reptiles, such as Eastern green lizard, wall lizard, slow-worm or smooth snakes live. Numerous bird species can be found in particular around the reservoir Hostice. In the underground areas, some species of bats, such as the lesser horseshoe bat, Barbastelle and Noctule live.

Special Conservation

• Národné Prírodné rezervácie (NPR, National Nature Reserves )

• Národné Prírodné pamiatky (NPP, National Nature Monuments)

• Prírodné pamiatky (PP, natural monuments )

• Prírodné rezervácie (PR, nature reserves )

• Chránené areály (CHA, Protected Areas )

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