Romania-Friendship Cave
- Country:Ukraine
- Site number:2396
- Area:0.1 ha
- Designation date:20-03-2019
- Coordinates:48°15'N 23°37'E
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Overview
The Romania-Friendship Cave is a unique underground formation composed of a network of chambers and corridors that share a fluctuating water regime, originating from surface water inputs. It is the biggest cave formation in the Ukranian Carpathians, and it is a very important hibernation refuge for 14 different species of bats, 12 of which are listed as threatened in Ukraine’s Red List. The Site is also home to several endemic troglobite invertebrate species, some of which were first discovered in the cave. Because of its location and size, the Site acts as natural protection against floods as it accumulates a great quantity of water from precipitation and snow melting. This is a very valuable service, especially for villages located down in the valley. The Site is located within the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe" (2017). Because of its difficult accessibility, the Site does not suffer from high touristic pressure, but because of the proximity to villages, some littering occurs.
Administrative region:
Zakarpatska Оblast
- Global international designation:
- Other global designation
- UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
- National legal designation:
- Biosphere Reserve - Carpathian
- Last publication date:23-08-2019