Orava River and its Tributaries. 17/02/98; Zilina; 865 ha; 48°14'N 019°28'E. The site represents the major part of the system of submontane streams within the catchment of the Orava River. The riparian vegetation belt is nearly continuous and mostly of edge character, but there are several patches of submontane or montane floodplain forest and well-developed shrub and herb layers. There are over 50 species of vulnerable, rare or endangered vertebrate and invertebrate species. Amongst them are mammals Lutra lutra, Sicista betulina, birds Ardea purpurea, Milvus milvus, Haliaetus albicilla, and invertebrates, including Oligoneuriella rhenana and Ephemerella notata. The stream system contains more than 35% of the entire fish fauna in Slovakia. The area is mainly used for recreation and, on a small scale, for industrial water consumption and gravel extraction. Ramsar site no. 929. Most recent RIS information: 1997.