A plea for the conservation of Western Balkan peatlands – a case study from Croatia

Rebrina, Fran; Šegota, Vedran; Alegro, Antun; Bujan, Jelena; Brigić, Andreja (2025) A plea for the conservation of Western Balkan peatlands – a case study from Croatia. Global Ecology and Conservation, 64 . ISSN 2351-9894

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Abstract

Peatlands are among the most threatened habitats in Europe, particularly near the southern edge of their distribution in the Western Balkans. However, baseline data on their ecological condition are lacking in many countries, including Croatia. To provide a basis for effective conservation and management of these priority habitats, this study presents a comprehensive overview of habitat characteristics, main threats, and plant and invertebrate assemblages for 80 % of the known Croatian peatlands. Furthermore, we assess the conservation status of each peatland and analyse their similarities in terms of habitat condition, threat intensity and current management. Nearly two-thirds of the investigated peatlands were found to be in highly unfavourable conditions, with transition mires being especially vulnerable to advanced vegetation succession and hydrological degradation, typically caused by artificial drainage. In some Croatian peatlands, these processes have resulted in the loss of typical peatland plant species and may lead to local extinctions of rare tyrphophilous and stenotopic invertebrates. In line with our findings, we propose general guidelines for active peatland conservation measures, including restricting vegetation succession, improving hydrological conditions and minimizing anthropogenic impacts, which can be applied to other peatlands facing similar challenges. Targeted, site-specific management efforts will be essential to secure the long-term persistence of peatland habitats in Croatia and the wider region of the Western Balkans.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Ecological condition; Alkaline fens; Bog woodland; Transition mires; Vegetation succession; Hydrological degradation; Peatland management
Subjects:	NATURAL SCIENCES > Biology
Divisions:	Division for Marine and Enviromental Research
Projects:	Project title Project leader Project code Project type Mjere prilagodbe klimatskim promjenama za održivo upravljanje prirodnim resursima-MEMORIE Stjepan Mikac; Milan Poljak; Andreja Brigić KK.05.1.1.02.0009 EK
Depositing User:	Ana Zečević
Date Deposited:	12 Nov 2025 10:27
URI:	http://fulir.irb.hr/id/eprint/10202
DOI:	10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03921

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