engleski

Importance of habitat conditions for sustainable wildlife management in the Danube river floodplain in Croatia

The floodplains and wetlands of the Danube River basin are valuable ecosystems, providing various habitats for representatives of wild flora and fauna. Floodplains can also have the positive effect on water quality and nutrient levels, while wetlands serve as retention areas and help to even out flood peaks and reduce flood damage by storing surplus water. The Danube River corridor in the south-eastern part of the Pannonian plane flows throughout the Republic of Croatia in length of 137.5 km (between 1433 and 1295.5 river km). Tradition of hunting game animals, such as red deer, roe deer, wild Boar, European hare and waterfowl in this part of Croatia dates back more than 300 years, since 1781. Nowadays, wildlife management with a purpose of breeding, protection and hunting the game animals is implemented according to Croatian hunting and nature protection legislation. Each wild animal species has its own particular habitat preferences for food, shelter, nesting or breeding site. Diversity and spatial distribution of land, aquatic and marsh vegetation in the Danube River floodplain in Croatia permanently depends on frequency, intensity and duration of floods, as well as drought periods. Among the forest habitat types, the most represented are floodplain forests of white willow (Salix alba) ; black and white poplar (Populus nigra, P. alba), and forest of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). When the most of the flooded area is full of water during the warm summer period, abundant growth of the aquatic vegetation from the orders Lemnetalia and Potamogetonetalia was observed on surface of permanent and temporary still water bodies. Prolonged drought period and very low water level stimulate growth and dispersion of amphibious communities from the alliance Nanocyperion on muddy or sandy bottoms of dried swamps, channels and fishponds. Vegetation of tall-sedge marshes, from the class Phragmito- Magnocaricetea is widely distributed, covering large areas inside the floodplain. Main threats to wildlife management are anthropogenic impact, habitat loss or degradation, more frequent occurrence of extreme weather and hydrological events, and water-borne diseases

habitat ; wildlife ; Danube ; floodplain

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