Division and categories of protected areas

Division and categories of protected areas in Slovakia


Protected areas in Slovakia belong to the National System of Protected Areas.
In addition to the National System of Protected Areas, the following are located on the territory of Slovakia:

Areas of the European network of protected areas Natura 2000 - protected bird areas and areas of European importance, which largely overlap with the national network of protected areas.

Areas of international importance - UNESCO natural heritage areas, biosphere reserves, Ramsar sites and areas with the Diploma of the Council of Europe. All are declared in some category of the national network of protected areas.
 
Overview of protected areas in Slovakia


1. National system of protected areas in Slovakia

2. Areas of the European network of protected areas Natura 2000

3. Natural areas of international importance


Ikona - Národná sústava chránených územi na Slovensku

1. National system of protected areas in Slovakia


National parks and protected landscape areas are referred to as Large-Scale Protected Areas (LPA). These are larger areas, usually with an area of ​​over 1000 ha. Protected areas, nature reserves, national nature reserves, natural monuments, national natural monuments, protected landscape elements, natural parks and municipal protected areas are unofficially called Small-Scale Protected Areas (SPA). All these protected areas form a national system of protected areas, divided into categories. For example: National Park (NP) is a category of protected areas and at the same time a Large-Scale Protected Area (LPA).
 
National system of protected areas in Slovakia
 

Large-scale protected areas (LPA)

Small-scale protected areas (SPA)

Categories of protected areas


Large-scale protected areas (LPA)

Large-scale protected areas and categories of protected areas in Slovakia are:

National Park (NP)
Protected Landscape Area (PLA)

List and map of all Large-scale protected areas (LPA) >>

To view a list of areas by category, scroll down to Protected Area Categories.
 


Small-scale protected areas (SPA)

Small-scale protected areas and at the same time categories of protected areas in Slovakia are:

Nature reserve (NR)
National nature reserve (NNR)
Natural monument (NM)
National natural monument (NNM)
Protected area (PA)
Protected landscape element (PLE)
Municipality protected area (MPA)
Nature Park (NPK)
 

To view a list of areas by category, scroll down to Protected Area Categories.
 
 

Categories of protected areas 
 

National Park (NP)

Protected Landscape Area (PLA)

Nature reserve (NR)

National nature reserve (NNR)

Natural monument (NM)

National natural monument (NNM)

Protected area (PA)

Protected landscape element (PLE)

Municipality protected area (MPA)

Nature Park (NPK)


National Park (NP)

Category of protected areas, large-scale protected area

National park (NP) – a larger area, usually more than 1,000 ha, predominantly with ecosystems substantially unaffected by human activities, or with unique and natural landscape structures that form national biocentres and the most significant natural heritage in which the nature protection is of higher priority than other activities. In the territory of a NP the 3rd level of protection is valid unless determined otherwise.  
 

Protected Landscape Area (PLA)

Category of protected areas, large-scale protected area

Protected landscape area (PLA) – a larger area, usually more than 1,000 ha, with fragmented ecosystems which are significant for conservation of biological diversity and ecological stability, with characteristic landscape features or with specific forms of historical settlements. In the territory of a PLA the 2nd level of protection is valid unless determined otherwise.

More on the page
List and map of Protected landscape areas (PLA) >>
 
 

 Nature reserve (NR) and National nature reserve (NNR)

Category of protected areas, small-scale protected area
 
Nature reserve (NR) and national nature reserve (NNR) – a  locality, usually up to 1 000 ha representing predominantly original or those natural habitats of European or national interest or habitats of species of European or national interest which have not been generally affected by human activities. The 4th or 5th levels of protection are valid in the territory of a NR and NNR.
   
 

 Natural monument (NM) and National natural monument (NNM)

Category of protected areas, small-scale protected area
 
Natural monument (NM) and National natural monument (NNM) – point, linear or other smaller ecosystems, their components or elements, generally not exceeding 50 ha in area, of scientific, cultural, ecological, aesthetic or landscape significance. The 4th or 5th levels of protection are valid in the territory of a NM and NNM.
   
Caves and natural waterfalls

All caves and natural waterfalls that meet the definitions below are considered natural monuments (NP) by law. A unique cave or natural waterfall that is part of the most significant natural heritage of the state can be declared a National Natural Monument (NMP) by the government.
 
Caves and natural waterfalls are a special group of protected areas. According to the law, a cave is a hollow underground space in the earth's crust accessible to humans and created by natural processes, the length or depth of which exceeds 2 m and the dimensions of the surface opening are smaller than its length or depth. A natural waterfall in the sense of the law is a natural rock formation through which a water flow falls from a height of more than 3 m under the action of natural forces without human intervention or flows down a continuous or cascading rock slope steeper than 75° and the water in the bed remains all year round. All caves and natural waterfalls that meet the above definitions are, according to the law, natural monuments. A unique cave or natural waterfall, which is part of the most important natural heritage of the state, can be declared a national natural monument by the government.
 
Caves and natural waterfalls and their protection zones are not subject to  level of protection, but to special protection conditions, listed in Section 24 of the Nature and Landscape Protection Act.

List of waterfalls you can find on page
Waterfalls in Slovakia and list of waterfalls  >>
 
 

Protected area (PA)

Category of protected areas, small-scale protected area
 
Protected area (PA) – an area, usually up to 1,000 ha with existence of natural habitats of European interest or natural habitats of national interest in which favourable status of these natural habitats depends on human economic activities. In the territory of a PS the 3rd, 4th or 5th levels of protection are valid.

More on the page 
 List of Protected areas (PA) >>
 
 

 Protected Landscape Element (PLE)

Category of protected areas, small-scale protected area
 
Protected landscape element (PLE) – a significant landscape element fulfilling a function of a biocentre, a biocorridor or an interactive element, especially of local or regional interest. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th levels of protection are valid in the territory of a PLE.
 

 Municipality protected area (MPA)

Category of protected areas, small-scale protected area
 
Municipality protected area (MPA)  – locality, usually with an area of up to 100 ha, with cultural, scientific, ecological, aesthetic or landscape significance. It can be declared by the municipality by means of a generally binding regulation, in which the conditions for its protection are stated.
   


Nature Park (NPK)

Category of protected areas, small-scale protected area

is a larger territory, usually with an area of more than 500 ha, mainly with ecosystems altered by human activity, which form biocenters of supra-regional importance or which are important for ensuring the favorable condition of biotopes of European importance, biotopes of national importance, biotopes of species of European importance or biotopes of species of national importance. It can be declared by the government, and the second or third level of protection applies to its territory, unless otherwise provided by law.  

Icon - Natura 2000

2. Areas of the European network of protected areas Natura 2000


Natura 2000 is the name of the system of protected areas of the member states of the European Union and the main objective of its creation is to preserve the natural heritage and preserve the most valuable and endangered species and habitats of Europe. This network of protected areas is to ensure the protection of the rarest and most endangered species of wild plants, wild animals and natural habitats occurring in the territory of the European Union and, through the protection of these species and habitats, to ensure the preservation of biological diversity throughout the European Union. In the territory of the Slovak Republic, the European system of protected areas consists of Protected Bird Areas (PBA) and Sites of European Importance (SEI).

3. Natural areas of international importance

A territory of international importance is a location to which obligations and recommendations in the field of nature and landscape protection apply, which for the Slovak Republic result from international treaties by which it is bound from membership in international organizations and from international programs to which the Slovak Republic has acceded.
 
More on the page
Natural areas of international importance in Slovakia >>

Natural areas of international importance in Slovakia:

Beech Forests of the Carpathians - UNESCO Natural Heritage in Slovakia

Caves of the Slovak Karst - UNESCO Natural Heritage in Slovakia

Biosphere reserves in Slovakia

Ramsar sites in Slovakia

Territories with Council of Europe Diploma

 

Beech Forests of the Carpathians - UNESCO Natural Heritage


The area was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 together with other forests in the territory of Slovakia and Ukraine. In 2011, the list of territories was extended by five old German forests and was listed under the name Carpathian primaeval beech forests and old beech forests of Germany. In 2017, the list was extended to other locations in selected European countries under the name Old beech forests and primaeval beech forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe.  
 

Caves of the Slovak Karst - UNESCO Natural Heritage in Slovakia


Jaskyne Slovenského krasu boli na základe spoločného projektu Slovenska a Maďarska zapísané na zoznam Svetového prírodného dedičstva UNESCO v roku 1995 ako Jaskyne Slovenského a Aggteleckého krasu.
   
 

Biosphere reserves in Slovakia


Established in 1971, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) program is an intergovernmental scientific program designed to create a scientific basis for improving relationships between people and their environment. The MaB program combines the knowledge of the natural sciences and the social sciences, creating the basis for a rational and sustainable exploitation of the biosphere resources, with the simultaneous protection of natural ecosystems and man-made landscapes.  


Ramsar sites in Slovakia

Wetlands of international importance
 
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is one of the most important international  convention concerning nature protection and the only convention protecting a certain biotope - wetland. The convention was initiated by an alarming decline in the number of populations of many species of water birds  in connection with the changes and loss of wetlands..
   


Territories with Council of Europe Diploma


Localities with the European Diploma of the Council of Europe
National nature reserve Dobroč primeval forest (in Slovak Dobročský prales)
Poloniny National Park

The European Diploma for Protected Areas is a prestigious international award, awarded by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe since 1965. It recognises natural and semi-natural areas and territories of outstanding European importance for the conservation of biological, geological and landscape diversity, which are managed in an exemplary manner.

Source: www.coe.int - The European Diploma for Protected Areas
   

Sources:
Act No.543/2002 on Nature and Landscape Protection
www.minzp.sk, www.sopsr.sk