Location

ROSCI0031 Nera Gorges – Beuşniţa Site of Community Importance is located at the south-western part of the country, in Anina Mountains. With an area of 37719 ha, it is located wholly in Caras – Severin County, on the administrative territory of Anina, Bozovici, Cărbunari, Ciclova Română, Ciuchici, Dalboşeţ, Lăpuşnicu Mare, Naidăş, Oraviţa, Sasca Montană, Socol and Şopotu Nou.

Site management is provided by: RNP ROMSILVA – ADMINISTRAŢIA PARCULUI NAŢIONAL CHEILE NEREI – BEUŞNIŢA (ROMSILVA NFA – National Park Administration Nera Gorges – Beusnita)

Access to the site can be made:

  • By car:
  • DN57 Oravita – Moldova Noua watching pointer to Sasca Montana (DJ 571C);
  • DN57B that crosses the site by its northern direction through Oraviţa-Bozovici;
  • DN58 direction Resita-Anina, where you can enter in the site through the NW;
  • DJ571 allowing access to the site in the southwestern part of the site, connecting localities Sasca Montana and Cărbunari;
  • DJ571G and DJ571B crossing site in the southeastern and linking the localities Bozovici – Şopotu Nou
  • By railway:
  • railroad Oraviţa – Anina

The site is characterized by a very complex and varied landscape, caused by alternating limestone plateaus with large depressions, with strong sunken valleys and ridges with steep slopes, in association with a wide range of shapes and karst.

The hydrographic network of the site belongs to Nera River, the river that flows from Semenic Mountains, beneath Vârful Piatra Goznei and runs through the depression of Semenic, Aninei and Almăjului Mountains. On his way he receives numerous tributaries, including Nergana, Nergăniţa, Lapuşnic, Moceriş, Bania, Coşava, Helisag, Prigor, Iablacina, Rudăria, Şopot, Valea Rea, Bei and Minis, finally resulting in a basin area of approx.  225 km2.

Special charms give to the site the two lakes: Lacul Dracului/ Devil’s Lake/ (with an area of 700 m2 and a maximum depth of 12 m. Originally it was an underground lake, but with the collapse of a piece of the ceiling of the cave, he surfaced) and Ochiul Beiului/ Bey’s eye/ (located at an altitude of 310 m, with an area of 284 m2 and maximum depth 3.6 m).

There are identified 21 natural habitats of Community interest, six of which are priority:

  • 3260 – Water courses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation
  • 3220 – Alpine rivers and the herbaceous vegetation along their banks;
  • 40A0 – * Subcontinental peri-Pannonic scrub
  • 6110* – Rupicolous calcareous or basophilic grasslands of the Alysso-Sedion albi
  • 6190 – Rupicolous pannonic grasslands (Stipo-Festucetalia pallentis)
  • 6210* – Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates(Festuco-Brometalia) ( * important orchid sites)
  • 6430 – Hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities of plains and of the montane to alpine levels
  • 7220 – * Petrifying springs with tufa formation (Cratoneurion)
  • 8120 – Calcareous and calcshist screes of the montane to alpine levels (Thlaspietea rotundifolii)
  • 8210 – Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation
  • 8310 – Caves not open to the public
  • 9110 – Luzulo-Fagetum beech forests
  • 9130 – Asperulo-Fagetum beech forests
  • 91E0 – * Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae)
  • 91K0 – Illyrian Fagus sylvatica forests (Aremonio-Fagion)
  • 91L0 – Illyrian oak –hornbeam forests (Erythronio-Carpinion)
  • 91M0 – Pannonian-Balkanic turkey oak- sessile oak forests
  • 91Y0 – Dacian oak & hornbeam forests
  • 9150 – Medio-European limestone beech forests of the Cephalanthero-Fagion
  • 9170 – Galio-Carpinetum oak-hornbeam forests
  • 9180 – * Tilio-Acerion forests of slopes, screes and ravines

Species of Community interest in the site:

Amphibians and reptiles: Frogs – ANURA – Discogossidae – Yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata)

 Mamals: BATS – the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum); the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros); the pond bat (Myotis dasycneme); the lesser mouse-eared bat (Myotis blythii); the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) ; the common bent-wing batSchreibers’ long-fingered bat, or Schreibers’ bat (Miniopterus schreibersii) ; the gray wolf or grey wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the timber wolf or western wolf, the brown bear (Ursus arctos) , the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), also known as the European otterEurasian river ottercommon otter, and Old World otter, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)

 Invertebrates: The thick shelled river mussel(Unio crassus), the southern damselfly (Coenagrion mercurial), the Jersey tiger (Callimorpha quadripunctaria), the Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus), a species of beetle in family Cerambycidae (Morimus funereus), the stone crayfish, (Austropotamobius torrentium), the Compton Tortoiseshell also known as the False Comma (Nymphalis vaualbum or N. l-album), the balkan goldenring (Cordulegaster heros), a genus of bush-cricket belonging to the family Tettigoniidae, subfamily Tettigoniinae. (Pholidoptera transsylvanica), the striped nerite (Theodoxus transversalis), the Rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina)

Fishes: alternatively known as the Danubian longbarbel gudgeon, Danubian gudgeon, Danube gudgeon or the steingressling (Gobio uranoscopus), the bullhead, also known as the miller’s thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bullhead and European bullhead (Cottus gobio), the Kessler’s gudgeon (Gobio kessleri), the  Amur bitterling (Rhodeus sericeus amarus), the Mediterranean barbel or southern barbel (Barbus meridionalis), the Golden Spined Loach (Sabanejewia aurata), the schraetzer (Gymnocephalus schraetser) or striped ruffe, the streber (Zingel streber), the Balkan Loach (Cobitis elongata),

Plants: a species of orchid native to southeastern Europe and the Middle East (Himantoglossum caprinum).

Possible activities

  • Tourism, ecotourism and hiking on marked trails, especially between May and November;
  • Rafting on the river Nera, spring and early summer;
  • Climbing on specially designated routes;
  • Cycling on forest roads;
  • Speleology – a recreational activity of exploring caves, more properly known as caving, potholing, or largely obsolete American term, spelunking (this activity requires special equipment and training);
  • Photography and filming flora and fauna – is done with the consent and under supervision of the National Park Administration Nera – Beuşniţa.

Sights

  • Nera gorges carved by the river and its tributaries Minis and Susara
  • Karst lakes: Ochiul Beiului şi Lacul Dracului
  • Waterfalls: Beuşniţa, Bigăr, La văioaga and Şuşara
  • caves and potholes: Plopa, Ponor, Peştera Boilor etc.;
  • Bei brook and its tributary Beuşniţa with numerous rapids and waterfalls formed by active travertine deposits;
  • archaeological sites (settlements, burial mounds, necropolis) dating from the Neolithic and Roman times;
  • churches and monuments of XII-XX: Socolari medieval fortress (built between XIV-XV centuries), fortified church (XIII-XIV centuries) and Necropolis (XII-XIV centuries) in the village Ilidia.

Bibliography

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