Pestersko polje

Landscape
Landscape
Landscape
Landscape
Local architecture
Landscape
Landscape
Landscape
Landscape
Landscape
Landscape
Landscape
Traditional manner of keeping the cattle grazing
The view of Peštersko polje from Trojan Hill
The view of Peštersko polje from Trojan Hill
The view from Trojan Hill of the area surrounding Peštersko polje
The view of peat exploitation parcels from Trojan Hill
The Trojan Hill, the highest peek on the Pešter Plateau (1351m a.s.l.)
Djurdjevica spring
Djurdjevica spring
Djurdjevica spring
The Trojan Hill, the highest peek on the Pešter Plateau (1351m a.s.l.)
Landscape
Wetlands
Wetlands
Wetlands near the Trojan Hill
Exploitation of peat
Exploitation of peat
Exploitation of peat
Exploitation of peat

Pestersko polje

  • Country: 
    Serbia
  • Site number: 
    1656
  • Area: 
    3,421.3 ha
  • Designation date: 
    19-03-2006
  • Coordinates: 
    43°04'N 20°07'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

Peštersko polje is the largest and highest karst field of the Balkan Peninsula. The Site close to the border with Montenegro originated as a lake, which vanished with the erosion of the karst. This process left peat bogs and small flooded areas exposed, creating a diverse landscape. Peatlands are a rare and endangered habitat in Serbia, and the Site features several of them, including the biggest one in the country. Peštersko polje supports a significant number of internationally and nationally threatened species, including the black tern Chlidonias niger, the glossy ibis Plegadis falcinellus, the aquatic warbler Acrocephalus paludicola and the thick shelled river mussel Unio crassus. It is also an important refuge for corncrake (Crex crex), which depend on the Site’s permanently wet areas to nest (during drought periods most of the surrounding habitats are drained). The main threat to the stability of this fragile ecosystem is the annual extraction of approximately 15,000 cubic metres of peat. A management plan is implemented for the Site, and there are plans to update it for the 2020-2030 period.

Administrative region: 
County of Zlatibor, County of Raška

  • National legal designation: 
    • Special Nature Reserve - Peštersko polje
  • Regional (international) legal designations: 
    • Other international designation
  • Last publication date: 
    11-02-2020

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents