Cepkeliai State Strict Nature Reserve and the Katra River
Site name:
Cepkeliai State Strict Nature Reserve and the Katra River
Location:
Varena Municipality, Alytus Region, Lithuania
Geographical coordinates:
54°00ŽN, 24°30ŽE
Total area:
18,150 ha
Site description
Cepkeliai wetland complex is the largest in Lithuania and one of the largest in the Baltic region. Large open raised bogs, fens, transition bogs, numerous small lakes, pools, forested islands and permanently flooded old forests cover large areas of this mire. The Katra River with unchanged hydrological regime and seasonally flooded banks is the natural State border between Lithuania and Belarus. The river is 122 km long, with 35 km within boundaries of the site. The vast Cepkeliai raised bog complex, located in the central part of the wetland complex, stretches on sandy fluvio-glacial lowland. This plain was formed by glacial meltwater flows that filled depressions with sandy and silty sediments. The bog formation processes started 17,000 years ago. Crystalline rocks in this site are found at the depth of 230 m. The site is located 129-134 m above the sea level.
The
wetland complex is fed mainly by rainfall, but groundwater also plays an
important role in the hydrological regime of the site. The site is located in
the watersheds of the Katra, Ula, Gruda, Musteika Rivers and numerous streams.
Rivers of the site belong to the Nemunas River basin. The Cepkeliai wetland
complex is distinguished by unique in the region recent changes of hydrological
regime. Large changes in the watershed of the Katra and Ula Rivers were
registered in the mid-19th century. The Ula River has markedly enlarged its
upper reaches since 1841. In result a large part of the upper reaches of the
Katra River occurred in the watershed of the Ula River. These processes have
caused the decrease of the groundwater level and almost total disappearance of
certain large lakes located in the site. The eastern part of the Cepkeliai
wetland has become shallower and about 2,000 ha of the open bog overgrew with
trees.
Great diversity of habitats and landscapes is characteristic of the site. Raised bogs cover about 80% of the Cepkeliai wetland. Banks of the raised bog are 83 km long. More than 80 small mineral islands are located in certain parts of the raised bog. There are 21 small lakes and numerous pools in the open raised bog. Continental dunes neighbouring the raised bog create a unique landscape in the region.
Large areas of the site have never been used for agriculture or intensive forestry. The territory is distinguished by especially high diversity of flora and fauna, including numerous rare and endangered species of insects, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and plants.
More
than 1,230 species of algae, fungi and higher vascular plants have been recorded
in the site, including 145 species of Algae, 135 - Lichenes, 301 - Fungi, 119 -
Bryophyta, 6 - Lycopodiophyta, 6 - Equisetophyta, 14 - Polypodiophyta, 3 -
Pinophyta and 595 - Magnoliophyta. The wetland complex hosts rare plant species
protected in Lithuania and in the European Union. Numerous plant communities of
the site are intact or only slightly affected by human activities. The
Cepkeliai/Katra wetland complex is distinguished by rare in Europe types of
habitats, listed in the EU Habitats Directive. Particularly valuable habitat
types of the site are species-rich Nardus grasslands, active raised bogs,
deciduous swamp woods, bog woodland and alluvial forests.
About 2,500 species of invertebrates, 14 - fishes, 10 - amphibians, 6 - reptiles, 183 - birds (of which 126 breed in the site) and 41 - mammals have been recorded in the site. This large natural complex of wetlands is of crucial importance for the maintenance of rare and vulnerable species, included into the Red Data Book of Lithuania, and listed in the EU Habitats and Birds Directives.
The territory is of important archaeological value. Settlements of Stone Age were recently discovered in the floodplain of the Katra River.
Drainage activities are the most prominent ecological threats for the ecosystems of the Cepkeliai wetland complex. A large network of drainage canals was constructed in the site in the early 20th century and particularly in the 1960s-1970s. Changes of the natural hydrological regime have negatively affected the Cepkeliai wetland complex. The decrease of the groundwater level has caused a rapid overgrowing of open raised bogs and floodplains of the site and degradation of certain valuable habitats. The recent succession of natural communities of sedge-fens by common widespread species and encroachment of shrubs in floodplains of the Katra River was also caused mainly by changes of the hydrological regime of the site.
The
Cepkeliai wetland complex with adjacent territories is protected since 1951. A
Strict State Nature Reserve was established there in 1975. At present the total
area of the Strict State Nature Reserve is 11,197 ha. All human activities
(except research) and public access (except regulated small groups of visitors)
are strictly prohibited on the territory of the Cepkeliai State Strict Nature
Reserve. It is the designated Ramsar site since 1993. Adjacent territories of
the site belong to the Dzukija National Park. The aim of the National Park is to
protect valuable landscape elements of the region, valuable habitats,
traditional ethnoculture, architecture, etc. All human activities (forestry,
agriculture, fisheries, recreation, etc.) are regulated on the territory of the
National Park.
Research history
Fragmentary data on geology, palaeontology, hydrology, ecological communities, fauna and flora of the site are available since the 19th century.
The first large-scale multidisciplinary research program was implemented in the 1970s - 1980s. It has resulted in a monograph on the geology, geography, hydrology, flora and fauna of the site.
Further regular investigations were performed by the research staff of the Cepkeliai State Strict Nature Reserve and Dzukija National Park, and by scientists from the Institute of Ecology, Vilnius University, Institute of Botany and Institute of Geology and Geography. The results were presented in more than 40 publications.
Key references
Balevicius
K. (ed.) Cepkeliai Strict Nature Reserve (a monograph). 1984. Vilnius: Mokslas
(in Lithuanian).
Lapele M. (ed.) 1997. Flora and fauna of Lithuanian State Strict Nature
Reserves. Vilnius (in Lithuanian).
Stancikaite M., Kabailiene M., Ostrauskas T., Guobyte R. 2002. Environment and
man in the vicinity of the Lakes Duba and Pelesa, SE Lithuania, during the Late
Glacial and Holocene. Geological Quarterly 46 (4): 391-409.
Svazas S., Drobelis E., Balciauskas L., Raudonikis L. 1999. Important wetlands
in Lithuania. Vilnius: OMPO Vilnius.
Svazas S., Kozulin A., Grishanov G., Maximenkov M., Rasomavicius V., Raudonikis
L., Baichorov V., Skuratovich A., Balciauskas L., Drobelis E., Grishanov D.
2004. Important transboundary Belarusian-Lithuanian and Lithuanian-Russian
wetlands. Vilnius: OMPO Vilnius & Institute of Ecology of Vilnius
University.
Sinkunas P., Stancikaite M., Seiriene V., Kisieliene D., Blazauskas N.,
Barzdziuviene V. 2001. Results of the investigations in Ula River Outcrops. In:
Stone Age in South Lithuania (in Lithuanian with English summary). Vilnius.
Zalakevicius M. (ed.) 2001. Report. Biodiversity of Lithuanian Strict Nature
Reserves. Vilnius: Institute of Ecology.
The main fields of research:
Long-term (over 14,000 years) changes of natural water level, vegetation, climate and human impacts in the site, based on interpretation of aerial photographs, pollen, diatom and C14 records;
Development of the watershed of the Katra/Ula Rivers;
Geo-chemical investigations
of the site, related to biota;
Changes of ecological communities of the wetland complex in stationary
survey areas;
Biological diversity of insect fauna;
Ecology of rare species of birds;
Dynamics of the wetland ecosystem;
Monitoring of the ecological state of the site (part of the National Monitoring Scheme);
Cross-border research on hydrology and biodiversity of the Cepkeliai/Katra wetland complex (in collaboration with research institutes of Belarus).
Information management
Detailed data on biodiversity of the site (list of all recorded species of flora and fauna, distribution of all rare species plotted on maps, multi-species maps and other information) are compiled in databases of the Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University.
Cross-border research
The Cepkeliai/Katra wetland complex is shared by Lithuania and Belarus. The Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University and the Institute of Zoology of Belarusian Academy of Sciences coordinate the cross-border research program of the whole transboundary wetland complex (in fields of geology, hydrology and biodiversity), implemented since 2002.
Principal contacts
Dr. Saulius Svazas, Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University; e-mail: svazas@ekoi.lt
Dr. Eugenijus Drobelis, Dzukija National Park; e-mail: dzukijanp@is.lt
Dr. Valerijus Rasomavicius, Institute of Botany; e-mail: floraval@botanika.lt
Dr. Petras Sinkunas, Institute of Geology & Geography; e-mail: sinkunas@geo.lt