Tara National Park
The Tara Mt. is situated in the westernmost part of Serbia. It is a mountain area encircled by an elbow-like course of the river Drina. It was proclaimed a National Park in 1981, over the area of 19,200 ha.
Tara is a high, very karstified pleteau, 1000-1200 m in height, from which occasional peaks rise up to the elevation of 1400-1600 m. The plateau is divided with deeply incised river valleys in the form of gorges and canyons. Among them, the most remarkable is the canyon of the river Drina, with mighty limestone slopes even more than 1,000 m high. The entire area of the Tara Mt. with wild canyons represents a system of diverse and often contrasting landscapes, from those resembling boreal taigas with peat bogs, to landscapes of typical Central-European deciduous forests and Mediterranean limestone or serpentine rocky grounds and cliffs.
Besides the canyon of the river Drina, particularly distinct is the canyon of the river Rača, as well the canyons of the rivers Brusnica and Derventa, with steep rocky sides up to 700 m high. Remarkably attractive are the waterfalls Mali Skakavac and Veliki Skakavac on the river Rzav, and lookouts Kišak, Smiljevac, Bilješke Stene, Kozje Stene, Vitmirovac, and Kozji Rid.
Apart from the deep and wild ravines and canyons, the main feature of the Tara Mt. are the rich, dense, autochthonous coniferous forests that make this mountain the most forested mountain in both Serbia and Europe. Of more than 1,000 plant species, around 20 endemic species are the greatest asset of the Tara Mt. – Centaurea derventata, Aquilegia grata subsp. nikolicii, Stachys anisochila, Euphorbia subhastata, Cicerbita pancicii, Silene monachorum, Potentilla mollis, Pancicia serbica… However, the prime place belongs to the empress of all European endemics – the Serbian spruce (Picea omorica). A remarkable natural rarity, the Serbian spruce, was discovered and described on the Tara Mt. as a Tertiary relic and endemic that survived the Great Ice Age in restricted refugial habitats of the Tara Mt., the canyon of the river Mileševka, and in a part of the west Bosnia. For this reason, it is unique for the conservation of global biodiversity.
The vegetation of the Tara Mt. is built of 35 forest and 9 meadow communities. The specific ecosystem mosaic on the Tara Mt. is made of representative communities of mixed forests of Norway spruce, silver fir, and beech (Piceeto-Abieto-Fagetum), forests of endemic relic Serbian
spruce (Piceetum omorikae), forests of Scots and black pine on serpentinite (Pinetum nigrae-sylvestris), forests of hop hornbeam and black pine (Ostryo-Pinetum nigrae) on steep slopes and cliffs of the canyons of the rivers Drina and Derventa, rock communities with endemic species, peat bog communities of the boreal type, as well as various meadow communities.
The preserved ecosystems of the Tara Mt. are inhabited by the rich fauna of the Central-European, boreal, and South-European mountain-type distribution range. The symbol of the Tara Mt. is the relic grasshopper Pyrgomorphella serbica. This grasshopper is a local endemic to which the Tara Mt. is the only existing habitat. Representative specimens of the huchen (Hucho hucho) and grayling (Thymallus thymallus) live in the clear waters of the river Drina and mountain rivulets. Of around 130 bird species, particularly interesting are the black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos), hazel grouse (Tetrastes bonasia), Ural owl (Strix uralensis), boreal owl (Aegolius funereus), serin (Serinus serinus), red-breasted flycatcher (Ficedula parva), and nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes).
Of 24 mammal species, 17 species have the status of natural rarity. The brown bear (Ursus arctos), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), wild cat (Felis silvestris), pine marten (Martes martes), and otter (Lutra lutra), the host of the coasts of Lake Perućačko and Lake Zaovinsko, can often be seen on the Tara Mt.
There are many traces of Prehistoric, Classical, Roman, and Byzantine culture. The Monastery of Rača and the necropolises from the 14th and 15th century are among the assets of the Serbian medieval heritage. Harmonious log cabins made of wood and stone and villages scattered over the colourful landscape are the reflection of the traditional folk architecture.
