Belene Islands Complex

Belene Islands Complex. 24/09/02; Pleven; 18,330 ha; 43°40'00''N 025°11'00''E; Natura 2000 (SPA, SAC), Managed Reserve, Nature Park. The Ramsar Site has been extended by 11,432 ha with the inclusion of additional islands and agricultural lands on the Danube river banks. The Site is formed by a complex of one big island (Belene) and nine smaller islands, characterized by freshwater marshes, seasonally-flooded riverine forests, and agricultural and semi-natural land cut by drainage channels. It is exceptionally biodiverse and hosts several rare species of plants including white waterlily Nymphaea alba and water shamrock Marsilea quadrifolia, as well as globally threatened species of birds such as the Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus, great bustard Otis tarda and aquatic warbler Acrocephalus paludicola. The Site is also important for mammals, amphibians and fish. It plays an important role in flood mitigation and sediment trapping. The main threats are related to drainage projects for navigation purposes and habitat degradation caused by the abundant population of wild boar. Part of Belene island has been utilized as a prison since 1948. Other human activities include agriculture, farming and small-scale timber harvesting. Large-scale wetland restoration projects have been successfully completed, a visitor’s centre has been built and a new management plan for the Site has been approved and implemented. Ramsar Site no. 1226. Most recent RIS information: 2014.

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