NATURE

Due to its plant and animal biodiversity, the Karst has long been a veritable treasure trove for botanists and zoologists. In this dense and dynamic territory, more than 1,800 plant species have found their habitat. If you decided to count animal species, you would count for a very long time - more than 2,000 species of bugs live in this part of the world, let alone other animals... The reason for this is the position of the karst territory and a myriad of natural habitats it provides at the geographical and climatic border, e.g. forests, maquis, scree slopes, caves, dry and wet grasslands, etc.

When it comes to animals, the visitor should not be too surprised to see the Dalmatian algyroides (Algyroides nigropunctatus), the predatory bush cricket (Saga pedo) or the European green toads (Bufo viridis) in these places. These animals are present in Central and Eastern Europe, but also in the Mediterranean. This is the Karst - a meeting point of a variety of animals, too.

From the viewpoint of natural science, some very special animal species live here, such as the European cat snake (Telescopus fallax) or the European white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes f.) which can only be found in the Glinščica stream (Val Rosandra), as well as many more common animal species, e.g. the golden jackal (Canis aureus), the common jackal (Canis aureus aureus), the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) and the brown bear (Ursus arctos). For more information on the fascinating world of the karst flora and fauna, please visit www.carsonatura2000.it : Plants - Animals.

To help people explore the biodiversity of the region, the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region and the Italian state established a number of nature reserves in which visitors can learn about the incredible natural richness of the karst landscape.

Well-maintained paths with information boards run along the natural park in the ravine of Val Rosandra (Dolina Glinščice), across the park Globojner, to the Centro Didattico Naturalistico in Basovizza (Bazovica), across the natural park of Monte Lanaro (Volnik), the Duino Cliffs Regional Nature Reserve, to Lago di Doberdò (Lake Doberdò) and to Lago di Pietrarossa (Lake Pietrarossa). Larger visitor groups can hire a field guide to explain the characteristics of the karst terrain.