Peat bogs in the Tatra National Park

The Site consists of four separate areas representing diverse types of mountain wetlands of European importance, and almost all typical Carpathian wetland types such as mountain raised bogs, transition mires and quaking bogs, small dystrophic lakes and Bazzanio-Piceetum spruce forest. It comprises wetlands in the High Tatra and in the Western Tatra mountains, and a bigger forest area in the Pańszczyca and Sucha Woda valleys. There are transitional mires in the marginal zones of small mountain raised bogs and acid fens among montane belt grasslands and in upper montane spruce forests. Some of the peatlands were born of vegetation succession in water bodies. The valuable wetlands occur mainly in the depressions on acid and poor habitats and they are supplied by rainfall. The plant life is dominated by numerous sphagnum and sedge species including the rare Carex pauciflora and Carex limosa. Animal species of interest include the Carpathian newt Lissotriton montandoni and dragonflies such as the bog hawker Aeshna subarctica and the Alpine emerald Somatochlora alpestris. Spruce forests in the Pańszczyca valley, Toporowe Stawy and the Smerczyński Staw region provide habitat for the western capercaillie Tetrao urogallus. The Site is located entirely within the borders of the Tatra National Park, which is a popular destination for picnics, touring and nature observation, as well as being important for monitoring and science.

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