Tatras – SVMAB

Characteristics of the territory

The Tatra Biosphere Reserve is located in the northern part of the Slovak Republic. The territory covers two national parks on both sides of the border between Poland and Slovakia. The Slovak part is represented by the Tatra National Park (TANAP), which on the Polish side borders the current Tatrzański Park Narodowy (TPN). The Tatra Mountains are the highest mountains in the long Carpathian range, which stretches from Slovakia into Romania via Hungary, Poland and Ukraine.

Established: 1993

Total area in the Slovak part: 101,819.05 ha

The core zone in the Tatra Biosphere Reserve is mainly represented by the territories of national nature reserves, which are strictly protected according to national legislation. They serve the protection of biodiversity, non-destructive research and other low-impact uses.

area 49,663 ha (44% of the area of the Tatra National Park)
altitude 1250 – 2655 m
mountain and alpine forests of the spruce vegetation stage and communities of the dwarf pine, alpine and subnival stages

The buffer zone is represented by forest communities around the built-up areas of Tatra settlements, spas, medical and tourist and sports centers. The preferred activities in this zone are environmental education, recreation, ecotourism as well as basic research

area 23,744 ha (21% of the area of the Tatra National Park)
altitude 800 – 1250 m
forests of the foothill stage and park areas in the built-up areas of Tatra settlements

The transitional (development) zone is the entire TANAP protection zone. This zone allows for diverse land use in accordance with the principles of sustainable development of local resources.

area 39,844 ha (35% of the area of the Tatra National Park)
altitudes of approximately 750 – 850 m
agricultural and forest landscape of the TANAP protection zone with historically established villages and towns in the Tatra Mountains

The peculiarity and picturesqueness of the natural conditions of the territory lies primarily in their alpine character. There are three mountain ranges here – the High Tatras, the West Tatras and the Belianske Tatras. The rich diversity of the landscape has resulted in a complex geological development. The extremely rugged surface and changing climatic conditions have made it possible to preserve the state of post-glacial processes in the territory. The Tatra National Park has a unique position in the Carpathian Arc thanks to its specific features, which include: a unique alpine relief with visible signs of former glacial activity, numerous glacial lakes (tarns) and a high number of endemic species (Carpathian endemics). At the same time, it represents the largest alpine zone in Slovakia and is also an area with very well-preserved natural forest stands in the spruce forest zone. The diversity of the territory is enhanced by the preserved elements of traditional folk culture, which, together with folklore, complete the uniqueness of the Tatra National Park and its difference from its Polish neighbors and other regions of Slovakia.

Traditional land use is agricultural and forestry activities. Agriculture in the Tatra Mountains has always been associated with cattle and sheep breeding. Tourism began to appear in 1871. The foundations of the protective function lie in the declaration of the Tatra National Park, which was the first protected area in Slovakia with official zoning. The territory has six main altitudinal vegetation zones. The mountainous landscape with recreational and tourist settlements is a transition between the cultivated and natural parts of the region, including many types of forests with rich biodiversity. The biosphere reserve is rich in various species of reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals, but we can also admire its beautiful flora.

The main objective of the reserve is to protect the alpine character of the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains. The Tatras extend across five climatic zones, including plants from lower mountain forests, subalpine forests, mountain pine forests, alpine grasslands and subnivals. The reserve features a variety of natural features, such as karst topography with dolomites and limestone, canyons and waterfalls, a mountain pine belt, alpine meadows, lakes and rocky peaks. Among the almost 1,300 plant species in the Tatras, 27 are endemic and subendemic, the most valuable. There are also numerous remains of Pliocene and glacial flora. Plant species include European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Scots pine (Pinus mugo), mountain rush (Juncus trifidus) and wolfberry (Oreochla disticha). The reserve is home to a number of animal species, including Europe’s largest predators: the brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos), the lynx (Lynx lynx) and the timber wolf (Canis lupus lupus). There are also high-altitude species such as the marmot (Marmota marmota), the snow vole (Chionomys nivalis) and the chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). Since 2000, the chamois population has increased by almost 850 animals thanks to the efforts of the Tatra Chamois Conservation Project.

The logistic function is represented by multidisciplinary and detailed research, which began after the establishment of the research station in 1953 in Tatranská Lomnica. It is one of the few scientific stations in the Slovak mountains and provides a base for research in the entire Tatras. The main task of the scientists of the TANAP Research Station and their collaborators is the environmental impacts resulting from the high number of visitors and from air and water pollution. Since 2000, high-altitude biological research has begun in Tatranská Javorina, which is carried out by the High Mountain Biology Research Institute of the University of Žilina. Environmental education includes the development of activities in the field of special educational facilities, as well as publication and promotional activities.

Established: 1993

Total area in the Slovak part: 101,819.05 ha

area 49,663 ha (44% of the area of the Tatra National Park)
altitude 1250 – 2655 m
mountain and alpine forests of the spruce vegetation stage and communities of the dwarf pine, alpine and subnival stages

area 23,744 ha (21% of the area of the Tatra National Park)
altitude 800 – 1250 m
forests of the foothill stage and park areas in the built-up areas of Tatra settlements

The transitional (development) zone is the entire TANAP protection zone. This zone allows for diverse land use in accordance with the principles of sustainable development of local resources.

area 39,844 ha (35% of the area of the Tatra National Park)
altitudes of approximately 750 – 850 m
agricultural and forest landscape of the TANAP protection zone with historically established villages and towns in the Tatra Mountains

Historical milestones of the biosphere reserve area

1952 – by the regulation of the Board of Commissioners No. 5/1952, the Tatra National Park Administration was established by merging the Temporary Administration of TANAP and the Forestry Administration of the High Tatras. It was managed by the forestry department. This regulation divided its own territory into four zones – strict reservations, partial reservations, urban areas of Tatra settlements and cultivated agricultural land.

1952 – establishment of the Advisory Board for TANAP matters.

1953 – establishment of the TANAP Research Station in Tatranská Lomnica.

As late as 1953, 1,760 sheep and 200 cattle were last grazed in the Tichá and Kôprová valleys. Rakúsy and Spišská Belá grazed 1,361 sheep in the Belianske Tatras. The gradual elimination of grazing began, which was completed in 1955. It was one of the greatest achievements of nature conservation in the first years of the national park’s existence.

1957 – establishment of the TANAP Museum in Tatranská Lomnica.

1957 – the professional Mountain Service of TANAP was established as a special Tatra workplace.

After several years of “unattendedness”, the Administration of the Symbolic Cemetery near Popradské pleso gradually came under the wing of the TANAP Administration.

1964 – The Slovak National Council under No. 14 on January 23, 1964 approved the Concept of Nature Protection and Creation of the Natural Environment of TANAP.

1970 – 1973 – under the professional supervision of scientists from the TANAP Research Station and in cooperation with other experts, the document Territorial Projection of Functions in Terms of Nature Protection in the Wider Tatra Area was created, which formed the basis for the evaluation of new investment plans in the TANAP area and in the wider High Tatras region. This managed to prevent investment activities in the construction of tourist facilities in the Roháčská Valley, in Kotlová nad Podbanským, near Hincové plesy and in Patria.

At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, several regulatory measures were implemented, leading, for example, to the closure and cancellation of some tourist trails.

1979 – for the first time, nature conservationists and tourists participated in the Clean Mountains event, the aim of which was to clean the high-mountain nature from garbage.

1987 – By the Decree of the Government of the Slovak Republic No. 18/1987, the Western Tatras were transferred from the protection zone to the TANAP territory itself.

1990 – the Government of the Slovak Republic issued Resolution No. 300/1990 Measures for Solving Acute Problems of TANAP for the Period 1990 – 1991.

1991 – Decree No. 166 of the Slovak Environmental Commission establishes 37 state nature reserves in the TANAP territory.

1991 – the Government of the Slovak Republic issued Resolution No. 658 of November 19, 1991, which approved the TANAP Care Program until 2000. It applied the principles of differentiated nature protection depending on the state of individual ecosystems. Altitude zones A, B, C and ecologically functional areas within them were described. The plans were not sufficiently fulfilled.

1993 – The Tatras as two biosphere reserves were included in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere program. In this program, UNESCO set itself the task of monitoring the state and development of individual territories and their nature. In 2013, it was stated that in the TATRA biosphere reserve after 20 years, the share of built-up areas, economic areas, sports facilities in the TANAP territory increased from 2.6 to 5.5%.

1994 – The Slovak National Council approved Act 287/1994 on the Protection of Nature and Landscape, the application of which brought many contradictions. In essence, the TANAP Act of 1948 was repealed, the TANAP Administration was also abolished, and from January 1, 1995, a new organization, the State Forests of TANAPU, was created (under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic). The workload of the former TANAP Administration was reduced only in March 1996, when the new TANAP Administration was established as part of a new entity – the Administration of National Parks of the Slovak Republic, which was established by the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic. Since then, nature management in TANAP has caused quite a few problems. The new Act of the National Council of the Slovak Republic No. 534/2002 on Nature and Landscape Protection did not resolve the fundamental interdepartmental problems. The zoning process was not resolved even in 2018.

2004 – On November 19, 2004, strong gusts of wind with a speed of up to 230 km/h damaged 2,030,000 m³ of forest stands in the national park on an area of more than 12,000 ha. The disaster damaged the forest stands in the protective districts of the State Forests of TANAP Dolný Smokovec, Vyšné Hágy and Tatranská Lomnica to the greatest extent.[4] The greatest losses were suffered by the state forests (56.8%), the town of Kežmarok (12.4%) and the town of Spišská Belá (4.6% of the area of the affected area). The rest falls on eight land communities of former urban planners of the Tatra villages (almost 22%), several individuals (3.4%) and the church (0.6% of the area of the affected area).[5] In the following years, the stands in strictly protected nature reserves were damaged by bark beetles. The elimination of damaged stands and their restoration was prevented by conservation organizations. Between November 2004 and 2016, the number of hectares of bark beetle damage in TANAP forests increased by as much as the November storm in 2004.

2022 – The National Council of the Slovak Republic, by its resolution of December 14, 2021, amended Act No. 543/2002 Coll. on Nature and Landscape Protection, in which the contributory organization State Forests of the Tatra National Park with its registered office in Tatranská Lomnica merges with the contributory organization Tatra National Park Administration from April 1, 2022. The contributory organization State Forests of the Tatra National Park with its registered office in Tatranská Lomnica ceases to exist upon its merger with the contributory organization Tatra National Park Administration on April 1, 2022. Tatranská Lomnica became the seat of the new TANAP Administration. This happened after almost three decades, when the efforts of nature conservationists to merge under one roof two organizations that were established in 1994 after the approval of the controversial Act 287/1994 on the Protection of Nature and Landscape reached their peak. According to it, the state forests of TANAP managed state lands in the High Tatras and Pieniny regions, and the nature protection in these national parks was taken care of by the TANAP Administration. The amendment to the law gave the new Tatra National Park Administration, among other things, legal personality.