Gora National Park Research Articles

Evaluation of Fruška Gora National Park (Serbia) for sport and recreational tourism

The Fruška Gora National Park has one of the biggest sport and recreational potentials in Vojvodina, Serbia. Because of its favorable natural and geographical features Fruška Gora National Park. Since sports and recreational tourism is of growing importance in the tourism industry, the evaluation method to create a high quality tourism product becomes inevitable. Empirical research conducted on a sample of 304 respondents was aimed at showing the existing potentials of Fruška Gora National Park related to sport and recreational tourism. The interviews with experts from the Provincial Secretariat for Environmental Protection, the National Park and the Cycling Association of Vojvodina helped the SWOT analysis of sport and recreational tourism on Fruška Gora National Park.

Persuasive communication and visitors willingness to pay park user fees

This study showed that persuasive messages were able to affect on the visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) park user fees (PUF). The primary aim of this study is to measure visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) such fees in Fruška Gora National Park, where no such measurement has previously been undertaken. By setting the main hypothesis that tourists need adequate motivation to pay PUF, the paper sought to answer on two very important questions with the setup of several lower-level hypotheses: are the visitors themselves actually willing to pay PUF? And what are the factors that influence visitors' willingness to pay (WTP)? Using persuasive messages was observed willingness to pay the PUF among 100% of participants. The method survey was conducted on three Park picnic areas, on a random sample of 253 participants. The data were processed with the SPSS program (version 17.0). To determine the frequency of specific deviations chi-square test is used.

Networking of Fruska Gora lakes tourist offer through system of cycle paths: Case study sot, Bruje and Moharac Serbia

Fruška gora lakes Sot, Bruje and Moharač are the lakes that can be used in many ways for sports and recreation tourism. Nevertheless, the current tourism offer in these lakes is based only on offer for sports fishing. Bearing in mind that Fruška gora National Park, where there are three zones of protection, is of great importance the fact that the second and third zones are, with regard to territorial perspective, areas where it is desirable to develop sports and recreational tourism. Cycling is becoming an increasingly popular form of sports and recreational tourism, so tourism networking of Fruška gora lakes with system of cycle paths would represent only the first step to turn the whole mountain into the European cycle mainstream. In this sense, the aim of this paper is set to map the FJSA cycling paths connected to the system. The field research resulted in the mapping of the terrain. The interviews with experts from the Provincial Secretariat of Environmental Protection, the National Park and the Cycling Association of Vojvodina helped in the SWOT analysis of cycle tourism on Fruška gora lakes.

Nematofauna of bank vole: Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780) from Mt. Fruska gora (Serbia)

The nematofauna of bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) was analyzed for the first time from samples collected in our country. The specimens were collected in Fruska Gora National Park (locality of Brankovac). The number of collected specimens was 138, and infestation with seven nematode species was determined: Heligmosomum mixtum (Schulz, 1954), Heligmosomoides glareoli (Baylis, 1928), Syphacia petrusewiczi (Bernard, 1966), S. stroma (Linstow, 1884), Capillaria murissylvatici (Dieseng, 1851), Trichocephalus muris Schrank, 1788, and Aspiculuris tetraptera (Nitzsch, 1821). The species Heligmosomum mixtum, Heligmosomoides glareoli, and Syphacia petrusewiczi represent the first records for the territory of our country. The species best represented in the sample were H. glareoli and S. petrusewiczi. There were no statistically significant differences between the sexes of host species regarding the prevalence, mean intensity, or mean abundance of parasite invasion.

Two new endemic species of the genus Omphreus (Carabidae: Coleoptera) from Montenegro

Two new species, viz. Omphreus (Omphreus) prekornicensis sp. n. (from Medjedje Peak, Mt. Prekornica, C Montenegro) and Omphreus (Omphreus) bjelasicensis sp. n. (from Biogradska Gora National Park, Mt. Bjelasica, E Mon- tenegro), are described and diagnosed. Male and female genitalia and other taxonomically important characteristics are illustrated. The new species are clearly distinct from their closest congeners and represent endemic relicts inhabiting limited regions of the Dinaric mountain system in Montenegro.

Biased vegetation patterns and detection of vegetation changes using phytosociological databases. A case study in the forests of the Babia Gora National Park (the West Carpathians, Poland)

Abstract. A huge number of phytosociological releve ´s, which have been collected inEurope during the last century, seems to be a useful point of reference for analyses oftemporal changes in vegetation. The high degree of subjectivity during data collection,however, makes difficult the comparison between data sets collected at different time bydifferent authors. Being aware of this we attempted to reveal 30-year changes in strictlyprotected old-growth mountain forests. We compared two sets of releve ´s: a subjectivephytosociological sample collected in the 60s and a systematic random one from the 90sof the XX century.Standard phytosociological data gave distinct vegetation units with transitional patchespoorly represented. This was observed both in the gradient between beech and coniferousforests in the montane belt and in the altitudinal gradient including two forests belts. Onthe contrary, the random sample did not indicate discontinuity in any of these gradients.We suggest that in spite of better representation of rare plant communities, in the sub-jective sample a considerable part of vegetation variability was omitted to emphasizedifferences between associations.Most species positively distinguishing syntaxa were more frequent in the subjective sam-ple because of preferential sampling in patches with a high number of such species. Therewere few diagnostic species with higher frequency in the random sample or with similarfrequencies in both samples. Such results were interpreted as an evidence of spreading ofthese species. Comparisons between samples revealed the expansion of heliophilous spe-cies typical for communities of Betulo-Adenostyletea and dramatic regeneration de-cline of Abies alba, Acer pseudoplatanus and Picea abies .Keywords: phytosociology, sampling method, vegetation change, West Carpathians.

Finding in the Fruska Gora National Park of Cryphia amasina (Draudt, 1931) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Bryophilinae), a species new for the fauna of Serbia

The present communication reports the finding of Cryphia amasina (Draudt 1931) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Bryophilinae), a species for the fauna of Serbia. Specimens of Cryphia amasina were found in the Fruska Gora National Park, which is located in the North Serbian province Vojvodina. This finding is a result of the more comprehensive entomological research conducted by the author in this area since 2001. different collecting methods (including bulb traps, malaise traps, butterfly nets, and caterpillar breeding) were used in the research. The specimens of Cryphia amasina were caught using a light trap with a 150W bulb in the morning hours.

A contribution to the study of stand degradation process on the territory of Fruska Gora National Park

We analyzed the process of stand degradation of individual forest ecosystems in the region of the zonal community Tilio-Carpino-Qurcetum robori-cerris Jov. 79 located in the western part of Fruska Gora National Park. Degradation occurred is consequence to regeneration felling and it progressed towards the extinction of oaks, first of all the valuable pedunculate oak and Vergilius's oak, and then also Turkey oak. The analyzed mature stands were degraded coppice and mainly predominated by the Turkey oak in the tree stratum. In juvenile stands, often initially well regenerated with Turkey oak, the dominant species in the tree stratum are lime, hornbeam, flowering ash, field maple and other secondary species, predominantly of coppice origin. Restitution of the degraded stands is possible by applying an adequate regeneration system. Taking into account the primarily protective function of the analyzed forest ecosystems and the fact that these are degraded and coppice stands, the system of regeneration should be based on combined restoration.

Tree mortality and effects of release from competition in an old‐growth Fagus‐Abies‐Picea stand

Abstract. In a montane mixed Fagus‐Abies‐Picea forest in Babia Gora National Park (southern Poland), the dynamics of an old‐growth stand were studied by combining an 8‐yr annual census of trees in a 1‐ha permanent sample plot with radial increments of Abies and Picea growing in the central part of the plot. The mortality among the canopy trees was relatively high (10% in 8 yr), but the basal area increment of surviving trees slightly exceeded the losses caused by tree death. DBH increment was positively correlated with initial diameter in Abies and Picea, but not in Fagus. For individual trees smaller than the median height, basal area increment was positively related to the basal area of old snags and the basal area of recently deceased trees in their neighbourhood, but negatively related to the basal area of live trees. Dendrochronological analysis of the past growth patterns revealed numerous periods of release and suppression, which were usually not synchronized among the trees within a 0.3 ha plot. The almost normal distribution of canopy tree DBH and the small number of young individuals in the plot indicated that stand dynamics were synchronized over a relatively large area and, hence, were consistent with the developmental phase concept. On the other hand, the lack of synchronization among periods of growth acceleration in individual mature Abies and Picea trees conforms more closely to the gap‐dynamics paradigm.

Tree regeneration on rotten wood and on soil in old-growth stand

Forest regeneration on soil and on decaying wood was studied in natural mixed stand of Facus sylvatica L., Abies alba Mill. and Picea abies Karst. in Babia Gora National Park, Western Carpathians. Downed wood, divided into five decay classes covered around 6% of the forest floor. Among seedlings, Fagus and Abies codominated, while Picea was less numerous. The average seedling density on the soil with herb layer (240 ind./100 m2) was higher than on the logs, even on the strongly decayed ones (177 ind./100 m2). However, the density of Abies and Picea seedlings was higher on the rotten wood than on soil. Seedling survival of all species was better on the logs, especially in conifers. Because of the total dominance of Fagus among saplings, the presence of Abies and Picea in the next generation of canopy trees can strongly depend upon their regeneration on decaying wood.

Cono- and seminiphagous insects of firAbies alba Mill. in the Babia Góra National Park and its surroundings in southern Poland

During 1991–1993 6300 specimens of cono-and seminiphagous insects and 10 specimens of parasitoid were obtained from 450 cones of firAbies alba Mill. This material originated from the Babia Gora National Park and its surroundings. The index of cone infestation by these insects is given for fir localities situated at different heights above the sea level. The seed losses caused by insects were estimated on the basis of analysis of 34,704 of fir seeds.