Special Nature Reserve “Koviljsko–Petrovaradin Marsh”
The Special Nature Reserve “Koviljsko–Petrovaradin Marsh” represents a complex of wetland and forest ecosystems (5,895 ha) with numerous biotic communities functionally interconnected into an integral whole. It is located in southeastern Bačka, within the floodplain of the middle course of the Danube River. The fundamental values of this area lie in the preservation and diversity of original orographic and hydrographic forms of the marshes (river islands, backwaters, ponds, swamps), the integrity and luxuriance of original marsh vegetation communities (forests, meadows, reed beds, bulrush stands), as well as the diversity and richness of fauna (206 bird species and 24 fish species), particularly the presence of rare and endangered species.
Because of its exceptional natural values, the Special Nature Reserve “Koviljsko–Petrovaradin Marsh” was proclaimed an Internationally Important Bird Area (IBA) in 1989, an Internationally Important Plant Area (IPA) in 2005, and in 2004 it was included in the list of water-dependent protected areas significant for the Danube Basin (ICPDR). Since 2012, it has also been on the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Taking into account its short distance from Novi Sad (20 km) and Belgrade (60 km) and its immediate proximity to the E75 highway, the Special Nature Reserve “Koviljsko–Petrovaradin Marsh” offers exceptional opportunities for the development of tourism and tourist services in general.
Special Nature Reserve “Bagremara”
The Special Nature Reserve “Bagremara” is located in the municipality of Bačka Palanka. The total area of the reserve is 117.58 ha. It is the only habitat of the plant species Winter Aconite (Eranthis hiemalis L. Salisb.) on the territory of Serbia. This perennial early-spring geophyte from the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) is a natural rarity and belongs to the category of critically endangered plant species in the Republic of Serbia.
Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje”
The Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” is one of the Danube pearls of Vojvodina and Serbia. The reserve represents a remnant of the once vast floodplain landscapes of the Danube region. It is a complex mosaic of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, with the largest portion covered by extensive floodplain forests. Such preserved and original biotopes are rarely found, both in our country and across Europe.
The Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” extends along the left bank of the Danube River, from the 1367th km to the 1433rd km of its course. It is part of a large marshland complex that also stretches into neighboring Hungary and Croatia.
The Danube River, with its main course, side arms (so-called “dunavci”), and floodwaters, has left its fundamental imprint on the reserve. The Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” is an important center of biodiversity. Part of this richness is reflected in the presence of 55 fish species, 11 amphibian species, 9 reptile species, 230 bird species, and 51 mammal species, as well as an enormous number of invertebrates, including more than 60 species of diurnal butterflies.
Due to its exceptional natural values, the Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” was proclaimed in 1989 as an Important Bird Area (IBA), and in 2005 as an Important Plant Area (IPA). It has been an integral part of the “Bačko Podunavlje” Biosphere Reserve since 2017 and a part of the pentalateral “Mura–Drava–Danube” Biosphere Reserve since 2021. Also, since 2007 it has had the status of a wetland area under the Ramsar Convention.
In addition to its biological diversity, the Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” is also distinguished by its authentic cultural heritage. As a result of adaptation to the great river and its whims, characteristic traditional customs have emerged (costumes, language, fishing tools, boats, and cuisine), which attract visitors and make the Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” an appealing destination for tourists.
European Charter for Sustainable Tourism.
Special Nature Reserve “Deliblato Sands”
In the southeastern part of the Pannonian Plain, in Banat, lies the largest European continental sand area, covering nearly 35,000 hectares of land. It is elliptical in shape and oriented in a southeast–northwest direction. It was formed during the Ice Age from powerful deposits of aeolian silicate–carbonate sand. In the modern period, the Košava wind shaped its distinctive dune relief, with altitudes ranging between 70 and 200 meters. A moderately continental climate, the absence of surface watercourses, and sandy soils have conditioned the emergence of unique life communities, which have been classified into a special phytogeographic region called Deliblaticum.
Within this unique mosaic of ecosystems, typical species of flora and fauna are found, many of which are natural rarities of international significance. The rich flora, with more than 900 species, subspecies, and varieties, abounds in rarities, relicts, endemics, and subendemics such as: Banat peony, Pančić’s wormwood, serpet (Serratula lycopifolia), bademić (Amygdalus nana), sand immortelle (Helichrysum arenarium), and juniper – the only wild-growing conifer in the Pannonian Plain. Since 2005, the Special Nature Reserve “Deliblato Sands” has been designated as an Important Plant Area (IPA).
As the last and largest oasis of sand-steppe, forest, and wetland vegetation that once dominated the Pannonian Plain, the Special Nature Reserve “Deliblato Sands” is one of the most important centers of biodiversity in Serbia and Europe, and the most significant steppe area in our country. The Reserve thus represents a unique scientific field laboratory.
Among the faunal rarities, steppe species stand out: desert ants, antlion, saker falcon, eastern imperial eagle, steppe mouse, European souslik, lesser mole rat, steppe polecat, and others. For some of these, the Special Nature Reserve “Deliblato Sands” is the only, or one of the very few remaining, habitats in Serbia.
The protected area also includes a section of the Danube River with its floodplains and islands, notably Labudovo okno. Its fish-rich waters and spawning grounds are an important gathering site and major wintering ground for waterbird species, which is why the Special Nature Reserve “Deliblato Sands” was designated in 1989 as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Many rare species nest here: little egret, squacco heron, glossy ibis, and sand martin. In addition, since 2006, Labudovo okno has held the status of a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
The typical villages on the edge of the protected area preserve the atmosphere of bygone times and complete the image of this picturesque landscape.
Special Nature Reserve “Obedska Bara”
The Special Nature Reserve “Obedska Bara” has been known worldwide since the mid-19th century, when stories began to circulate about it as a paradise for birds. Once a famous ornithological reserve, today it is a Special Nature Reserve – a vast marsh–forest complex situated along the Sava River in southern Srem. The greatest value of this area lies in its authentic network of oxbow lakes, ponds, backwaters, marsh vegetation, wet meadows, and forests with an exceptionally rich diversity of ecosystems and species, particularly endangered ones. SRP “Obedska Bara” is one of the few remaining preserved floodplain marsh areas, characterized by unique features such as centuries-old mixed pedunculate oak forests and colonies of wetland birds. The marsh itself is the remnant of a meander of the old Sava River bed, whose main course now flows further south. Its basin, bordered by the villages of Obrež and Kupinovo, is known as the “Horseshoe” because of its distinctive shape. The higher, terrestrial part, interspersed with aquatic depressions and habitats of old oak forests, is called “Kupinske Grede.” SRP “Obedska Bara” is renowned for the variety of its wetland and forest habitats, including: over 30 aquatic, marsh, and forest phytocoenoses; 50 species of mammals; 16 species of fish; 13 species of amphibians; 11 species of reptiles; 50 species of mosses; 150 species of fungi; more than 300 species of insects; around 500 species of flora of remarkable richness; and in particular, 222 species of birds.
Due to its exceptional natural values, SRP “Obedska Bara” has been included on the list of wetlands of the Ramsar Convention since 1977, as one of the first such areas in our country. In 1989, it was designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA), in 2005 as an Important Plant Area (IPA), and in 2008 as a Prime Butterfly Area (PBA).
Special Nature Reserve “Bosut Forests”
The special nature reserve “Bosut Forest” is one of the most valuable and best preserved forest complexes in Serbia. As a remnant of the former lowland rainforests of Posavina, the Bosut forest preserves an authentic landscape of forest, wet and watery habitats in southwestern Srem.
The reserve extends over the territory of the municipalities of Šid and Sremska Mitrovica, in an area formed by the network of lowland watercourses Sava, Bosuta and Studva. On the triple border of Serbia, Republika Srpska (BiH) and Croatia, the Bosut forests form a unique natural entity and part of the largest complex of luznjak forests in Southeast Europe and the Pannonian Plain. Together with the Spačvan Forests in Croatia, the Bosut Forests represent a unique functional ecosystem of international importance.
The total area of the Special Nature Reserve “Bosut Forest” is 17,618.14 ha, within which protection regimes of I, II and III degrees have been established. Within the boundaries of the area there are also seven previously protected localities – Natural Monument “Smogva” and strict nature reserves “Varoš”, “Raškovica”, “Majzecova Bašta”, “Vinična”, “Stara Vratična” and “Rađenovci”.
The largest part of the Bosut Forests is covered by the largest, oldest and best-preserved oak (Quercus robur L.) forests in Serbia. Old forest communities, interspersed with watercourses and wet habitats, form a unique and diverse natural entity. As many as 37 priority types of habitats important for protection have been identified in this area, which ranks the Bosut forests among the key centers of biodiversity in Serbia.
A large number of rare and strictly protected species have been recorded in this area – 13 species of plants, 14 species of invertebrates, 4 species of fish, 8 species of amphibians, 7 species of reptiles, as many as 156 species of birds and 15 species of mammals. Of particular value is the fact that species that were thought to have disappeared from the territory of Serbia were also recorded here.
In some parts of the reserve, an almost rainforest character has been preserved – with trees up to 400 years old and diameters greater than two meters, as well as a rich layer of dead wood that enables the survival of numerous plant and animal species.
In the Bosut forests, natural values are accompanied by strong traces of tradition and history. On the raised terrains and next to the old forest complexes, there is still a gyro farm today, as part of the long continuity of life in harmony with the forest, and traditional pig farming remains one of the recognizable features of this area. Old oak trees, seed stands, nesting sites of rare birds and preserved rainforest elements testify to the richness of nature, archaeological traces of the Illyrians and Celts and the cultural landscape speak of the multi-layered relationship between man and the forest. It is this connection of natural and cultural heritage that gives the Bosut forests a special identity and makes them a space where, in addition to exceptional biodiversity value, you can experience the authentic tradition of Srem.
Due to its exceptional natural values, this area is recognized internationally as an area of importance for birds (IBA – RS021IBA), as well as a potential area of the European ecological network NATURA 2000, namely as “area of interest for the community” (pSCI SRBPEZ005 – “Bosut forests”) and “special protection area” (pSPA 007 – “Bosut forests”). As part of a large complex of forests in the Sava river basin, the Reserve has a pronounced cross-border significance and an important role in preserving ecological corridors and species migrations.
Today, the special nature reserve “Bosut Forests” represents a unique combination of preserved nature, rich biodiversity and cultural heritage – a space where natural processes and traditions live in balance, offering visitors an authentic experience of one of the last large lowland forests in Europe.
