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20-556: The Montenegrin section of the lake and surrounding land have been designated as a national park , while the Albanian part constitutes a nature reserve and a Ramsar site . Lake Skadar is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula with a surface area that seasonally fluctuates between 370 km (140 sq mi) and 530 km (200 sq mi). Lake Skadar itself is located in the western Balkan region. The lake

40-463: A national park in 1983. The Albanian part has been designated as a Managed Nature Reserve . In 1996, by Ramsar Convention on Wetlands , it was included in the Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance . Near the mouth of Rijeka Crnojevića , 11 m (36 ft) below the surface of the water there is a well-preserved wreck of the steamboat Skanderbeg sunk by partisans in 1942, during

60-483: Is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in The Environmentalist in 1988 and 1990, after which the concept was revised following thorough analysis by Myers and others into "Hotspots: Earth's Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions" and a paper published in

80-438: Is an enormous inundated area, the boundaries of which change as water levels fluctuate. Some small islands like Beška , with two churches on it and Grmožur , a former fortress and prison can be found on the southwestern side of the lake. The climate type is hot-summer Mediterranean climate with dry summers ( Csa ), under Köppen climate classification . The Montenegrin part of the lake and its surrounding area were declared

100-575: Is inhabited by five species of Bithynia and it is a hot spot of Bithynia evolution. There are 17 amphipod species for the Lake Skadar watershed, 10 of them being endemic (mainly from the subterranean habitat). The small range of many endemic species living in the Lake Skadar system together with ever increasing human pressure make its fauna particularly vulnerable. This becomes even more important in light of ongoing eutrophication , water pollution and sand and gravel exploration activities in

120-521: Is located in the border area between Montenegro and Albania, the Montenegrin share of the area of the lake is larger than the Albanian one. The lake's water level also varies seasonally from 4.7 to 9.8 metres (15 to 32 ft) above sea level. The lake extends northwest to southeast, and it is approximately 44 km (27 miles) long. The Buna River connects the lake with the Adriatic Sea, and

140-495: Is one of the largest bird reserves in Europe, having 270 bird species, among which are some of the last pelicans in Europe, and thus popular with birders . The lake also contains habitats of seagulls and herons . It has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International . It is abundant in fish, especially in carp , bleak and eel . Of the 34 native fish species, 7 are endemic to Lake Skadar. At

160-655: The Drin River provides a link with Lake Ohrid . The lake is a cryptodepression , filled by the river Morača and drained into the Adriatic by the 41 km (25 mi) long Buna ( Serbo-Croatian : Bojana ), which forms the international border on the lower half of its length. The largest inflow is from the Morača, which provides about 62% of the lake's water. Total drainage area is 5,490 km (2,120 sq mi). There are additionally some fresh water sources at

180-547: The Second World War . Lake Skadar is presumably an ancient lake , although it is a relatively young ancient lake. Most authors agree that the Lake Skadar basin is of tectonic origin which had been formed due to the complex folding and faulting within north eastern wing of Old Montenegro anticlinorium (High Karst Zone). These movements took place during the Cenozoic period. The lake basin has been formed as

200-438: The Lake Skadar area. The connection of Lake Skadar with the sea was interrupted during the younger Pliocene. The question of the origin of its water is of particular interest for biologists as these waters may have provided its first species and been the basis for its present high degree of endemism. The Lake Skadar system is a well-known hotspot of freshwater biodiversity and harbors a highly diverse mollusc fauna. Lake Skadar

220-719: The current levels at which deforestation is occurring, will likely lose most of their plant and vertebrate species. Only a small percentage of the total land area within biodiversity hotspots is now protected. Several international organizations are working to conserve biodiversity hotspots. Most biodiversity exists within the tropics; likewise, most hotspots are tropical. Of the 36 biodiversity hotspots, 15 are classified as old, climatically-buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs). These areas have been historically isolated from interactions with other climate zones, but recent human interaction and encroachment have put these historically safe hotspots at risk. OCBILs have mainly been threatened by

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240-421: The journal Nature , both in 2000. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers' 2000 edition of the hotspot map, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (more than 0.5% of the world's total) as endemics , and it has to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation. Globally, 36 zones qualify under this definition. These sites support nearly 60% of

260-416: The lake and its basin. Research of the phytoplankton community and chlorophyll-based trophic state indices show that the lake is on a betamesosaprobic level of saprobity , which means moderately polluted with organic compounds. Effects of human-induced environmental changes are especially evident for sublacustrine springs, with eutrophication and use for water supply (e.g., sublacustrine spring Karuč) being

280-404: The lake bottom. A characteristic feature of Lake Skadar's water balance is the high inflow from a number of temporary and permanent karst springs , some of which are sublacustrine in cryptodepressions (known as an oko ). The southern and southwestern sides of the lake are rocky, barren and steep, having bays in which the sublacustrine springs are usually to be found. On the northern side there

300-491: The land but have lost around 85% of their area. This loss of habitat is why approximately 60% of the world's terrestrial life lives on only 2.4% of the land surface area. Caribbean Islands like Haiti and Jamaica are facing serious pressures on the populations of endemic plants and vertebrates as a result of rapid deforestation. Other areas include the Tropical Andes, Philippines, Mesoamerica, and Sundaland, which, under

320-723: The most serious threats. The 2011 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species includes 21 endemic species from the Lake Skadar basin. Radio Skadar , a radio station based in Podgorica , is named after Lake Skadar. List of national parks of Montenegro Montenegro has five national parks which cover approximately 10 percent of the country's territory. The parks are managed by the National Parks of Montenegro government agency ( Serbian : Национални паркови Црне Горе , romanized :  Nacionalni parkovi Crne Gore ). Biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot

340-721: The relocation of indigenous groups and military actions, as the infertile ground has previously dissuaded human populations. The conservation of OCBILs within biodiversity hotspots has started to garner attention because current theories believe these sites provide not only high levels of biodiversity, but they have relatively stable lineages and the potential for high levels of speciation in the future. Because these sites are relatively stable, they can be classified as refugia . North and Central America The Caribbean South America Europe Africa Central Asia South Asia Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific East Asia West Asia The high profile of

360-736: The result of sinking of blocks in the Neogene period or even in Paleogene . In the Miocene and the Pliocene marine conditions prevailed in the Zeta Plain , which was sunk at the beginning of the upper Miocene, and that the sea inundated this plain up to Podgorica during the Pliocene. Radoman (1985) pointed out that sea must have destroyed all the freshwater populations on this plane and in

380-495: The scale of Lake Skadar, about 31% of freshwater snails (12 out of 39 species sampled in the lake) are endemic. At the scale of the Lake Skadar basin, 38% (19 species) of the total freshwater gastropod fauna appear to be endemic. There were reliably recorded 50 species of freshwater snails from the Lake Skadar basin. The index of freshwater gastropod endemism is 0.478. With this relatively high value, Lake Skadar exceeds such famous lakes as Lake Malawi and Lake Titicaca . Lake Skadar

400-432: The world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species , with a high share of those species as endemics. Some of these hotspots support up to 15,000 endemic plant species, and some have lost up to 95% of their natural habitat. Biodiversity hotspots host their diverse ecosystems on just 2.4% of the planet's surface. Ten hotspots were originally identified by Myer; the current 36 used to cover more than 15.7% of all

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