Five years of monitoring amphibian and reptile populations at National Park „Kopaonik“, Serbia
2022
Authors:
Mirč, MarkoAnđelković, Marko
Urošević, Aleksandar
Cvijanović, Milena
Tomašević Kolarov, Nataša
Ajduković, Maja
Kijanović, Ana
Vučić, Tijana
Vukov, Tanja
Contributors
Crnobrnja-Isailović, JelkaVukov, Tanja
Vučić, Tijana
Tomović, Ljiljana
Document Type:
Conference object (Published version)
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© 2022 Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" – National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract:
National parks are, by definition, areas set aside for wildlife protection, but also
human recreation. Sometimes, the development of tourism-related infrastructure and
capacities or resource exploitation can impede the primary function of national parks
– nature conservation. Baseline and trend monitoring are great tools to assess human
pressure on nature. Amphibian and reptile species have small ranges and are
vulnerable to changes in their environment which makes them great bioindicators.
Here we present the results of five-year monitoring activities of amphibian and reptile
populations at National Park „Kopaonik“, Serbia. Data on batracho- and herpetofauna
of NP „Kopaonik“ were limited and outdated, so a detailed survey of species richness,
habitat conditions, and population trends was greatly needed. Starting from 2018 to
2022 we described the amphibian and reptile diversity of the national park and
systematically monitored several habitats, dispersed throughout all three protection
zones as well as outside protection zones, to assess the habitat quality and population
trends of selected species. We had an opportunity to see the effect of the international
travel ban (due to the Covid19) on batracho- and herpetofauna, when much more
people spent their vacation at NP „Kopaonik“ than usually. Per our results so far, the
richness of the amphibians and reptiles species of the NP „Kopanik“ is moderate (9
amphibian and 12 reptile species). The population size of the selected lizard species is
stable through the years regardless of the protection zone. Amphibian populations are
also stable, as offsprings of the majority of the species were found every year. However
human pressure on the amphibian and reptile species is high. Habitat degradation is
present and some localities are at great risk to be lost
In:
- Crnobrnja-Isailović J, Vukov T, Vučić T, Tomović Lj, editors. Program and Book of Abstracts: the 21st European Congress of Herpetology; 2022 Sep 5-9; Belgrade, Serbia. Belgrade: Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"– National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade; 2022. p. 79.