
Calcareous Mires of Slovakia - landscape setting, management and restoration prospects
Slovakia is blessed with an abundance of natural beauties, and some of them are quite unique within Europe. Calcareous fens, which are peat and travertine depositing wetlands are such rare ecosystems and in Slovakia they are located almost exclusively in the Western Carpathian Mountains.
Calcareous fens are hot spots of biodiversity and some protected and almost untouched sites are discussed in this book. Such reference area are unique natural archives, and are very suitable for studying their past development and history.
An international team of peatland scientists tried to unravel the hydrological and geochemical processes behind the development of calcareous fens and identify the dangers of human interventions in the landscape. The interdisciplinary approach used in these studies include historical development, ecology, geology and hydrology.
‘We believe that this publication will prove valuable in contributing to a better understanding of the value and functioning of these fragile and threatened ecosystems, and that it will lead to the implementation of new strategies on wetland and especially mire conservation, and their wise use at global, European and national levels’. - Ján Kadlečík, Slovak Nature Conservancy, Carpathian Wetland Initiative.
This book is a great inspiration for colleagues in other countries to study and understand the hydrological systems, including threatened wetland types and to propose efficient restoration measures. Through this publication, we wish to make a contribution to peatland conservation and more effective management.
Ab Grootjans, Viera Šefferová Stanová, André Jansen