Obedska Bara Swamp
Obedska Bara is positioned in the alluvial plane of the river Sava in southern Srem. It is the largest alluvial area in Serbia and it represents an authentic mosaic of forest, pond, swamp, and meadow habitats, with exceptionally rich biota.
Obedska Bara is one of the oldest protected natural assets in the world. The first administrative protection dates from 1874. Following the revision of the area in 1994, it was given the status of the Special Nature Reserve.
The exceptional richness and diversity of ecosystems of Obedska Bara represent one of its fundamental values. In scope of the reserve, more than 30 aquatic, swamp, forest, and meadow communities were described. So far, around 180 species of fungi, 50 species of mosses, 500 species of vascular plants, more than 200 species of zooplankton, over 300 species of insects, 16 species of fish, 13 species of amphibians, 12 species of reptiles, 222 species of birds, and 50 species of mammals were recorded. The beaver (Castor fiber) was recently reintroduced to Obedska Bara.
The integrity and patchiness of the ecosystems of Obedska Bara are conditioned first of all by the microrelief and cyclic processes in nature related to seasonal flooding of the reserve, upon which the survival of the autochthonous biota and its communities depends. In current time, many of these natural rarities are preserved, but Obedska Bara and its natural diversity are more threatened each day by the succession of the vegetation, by disturbance of the water regime, and by human activities.
The”golden age” of Obedska Bara, described in literature, lasted during the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. It is considered that as much as 15,000 pairs nested at that time in the colony of herons and cormorants. Such concentration has never been recorded in Serbia again, and the current colony consists of 600 pairs of seven species of herons and cormorants.
The entwined natural and cultural heritages are a special value of Obedska Bara. The Church of Mother Angelina and old town Kupinik is situated in the area of the reserve.
