The Vychodne Karpaty Protected Landscape Area was established in 1977.  The most valuable part of this area forms the basis of the Vychodne Karpaty Biosphere Reserve.  It was created in 1993 and covers an area of 40,061 hectares.  Together with areas across the border in Poland and Ukraine, a unique tri-national Biosphere Reserve was created.

The Bukovske vrchy hills, in which the biosphere is located, are built of flysch rocks, sandstone, and claystone. 

The average annual temperatures vary from 4-8 C and the average annual precipitation varies from 800 to 1000 mm. 

To the present day, 457 species of mushrooms, 208 lichens and 300 mosses have been identified in the Reserve.  Of special value to the territory are the rare virgin forest communities of beech and mixed fir and beech. 

More than 1500 species of invertebrates have been recorded here, as have 292 species of vertebrates – of which 184 species are protected.  Typical residents of the forests of the Biosphere Reserve are the wolf, European brown bear and Ural owl.

 Settlement in the area was greatly influenced by the Walachian Colonization.  Dating from the 18^th century are several rare, sacred buildings – wooden churches in Ulicske Krive, Rusky Potok and Topola.

Economic life is, for the most part, tied to forestry and agricultural work.

The district of Humenne offers relatively good conditions for the development of recreation and tourism.  Worth of mention are the Andrassi Manor-house in Humenne, the Rollov Manor-house in Snina, the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce and the museum of Folk Architecture in Humenne. 

Sporting, tourism and other activities are to be found at the recreation centers of Danova and Snina rybnik (pools.)  Winter sports activities are available at Danova, Borov,  and Parihuzovce.

The Vychodne Karpaty Biosphere Reserve offers a 40,601 hectare complex of natural landscape and cultural-historical values. 

In the past the economy consisted of raising farm animals and the production of fodder, primarily hay.   It was divided into a two part system.  One part of the area around the village was dedicated to the production of grains (caryna), the second to grazing (toloka.)  After a year the land laid fallow.

At the present time in the area of the Biosphere Reserve, there are two economic enterprises.  The first, LPM Ulic, is responsible for the economic management of the major portion of the agricultural lands in the Reserve.  State farm SM Stakcin is responsible for the lands in the vicinity of the water reservoir Starina, seven villages were removed.   As a result, these lands have taken on the character of permanent grasslands.  Work on these lands is now limited because they lie within the so-called Hygenic Zone which surrounds Starina.  All of the agricultural lands in the Biosphere reserve are within the Transition Zone (Zone C).

The small fields and meadows in proximity to the villages reflect the original character of the cultural landscape.

Ing. Gic Marian, Ing. Piros Milan, Ing. Terray Jan

Foto: Pcola, Stefan

Forests cover 32,183 hectares, (approximately 79,661 acres) of the Biosphere Reserve.  This is just over 79% of the total area of the Reserve (40,601 hectares).  They occur from the lowest to the highest elevations.

The dominant tree species is beech (Fagus sylvatica).  Other common species (silver fir, sycamore, Norway maple, oak, elm, etc.) do not account for any significant percentage of forest cover.

 Although the management of the forests has intensified over the past twenty years (including clear-cutting as a tool for forest regeneration), stands in this area are still among the most pristine in Slovakia.  Some of them are protected as state nature reserves (Stuzica, Rozok, Havesova).

 Of special importance to science and for protection purposes are the specimens which are endemic to the Eastern Carpathians.  For the most part, invertebrate species are associated with deciduous forest biotypes.  Some bird and mammal species live only in these original communities.  The main goal of nature protection specialists is to provide effective management for individual species to secure the the protection of the biotypes in which these animal species naturally occur.

 The Bukovske vrchy hills in which the Slovak part of the Vychodne Karpaty International Biosphere Reserve is located, is only area which belongs solely to the geo-botanical domain of the Eastern Carpathians.  The East Carpathian nature of the flora is fairly distinct and is relatively rich.  In an area of about 500 square kilometers,  approximately 1000 species of vascular plants have been recorded.  Of these, 22 taxa are considered critically endangered, 33 very endangered, 52 endangered and 22 rare to Slovakia.

 Sixty plant communities have so far been identified in the Bukovske vrchy hills of which 36 are common (e.g., Alnetum incanae, Luario-Aceretum, etc.)  Some are endemic to the Carpathians.  Quite a few plant-communities have their westernmost boundaries here (e.g., Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum ranuculetosum carpaticu, Helbro-Coryletum, Matteucio-Alnetum  incanae.)

 In order to protect typical forest communities, eight state nature reserves (SPR) and three protection units have been established.  Their total area covers 1365.05 hectares.  State reserves protect mainly beech, mixed beech-fir  and sycamore forests (Fagion and Tilio-Acerion) as communities of the Prunetalia division.  The situation is worse in the protection of Priulo veris-Carpinetum, Tilio-Carpetum forests and brushwood communities typical of river alluvia. 

Strict reserves also cover the areas of the most precious mountain swards, peat-bogs and grasslands (e.g., Cirsietum rivularis, Junco-Deschampsietum caespitoosae, Anthoxantho-Agrostietum tenuis.)  It is planned to create new reserves for the protection of stenothermal plant communities (e.g., Prunello lacinietae-Dorycniethum herbacel) and communities associated with riverbanks (e.g., Echio-Melilotetum albae.)