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Uvac River Canyon. Author Zcvetkovic.

Top 10 Remarqueble Facts about Nature Reserve Uvac

The location of Special Nature Reserve Uvac is in southern Serbia, in the municipalities of Nova Varos and Sjenica in the Zlatibor District. Geographically, the Uvac valley is part of the Stari Vlah-Raška highland. The lowest point in the reserve is 760 m and the highest is 1,322 m.

Special Nature Reserve Uvac has a gorge referred to as the Uvac gorge. The gorge is well-established for its meanders. The central morphological section of Special Nature Reserve Uvac is a canyon-like valley of the river. It includes the valleys of its tributaries.

Let’s learn more about the reserve.

1. The reserve has a gorge known as the Uvac Gorge

Special Nature Reserve Uvac gorge’s meanders cut in a canyon-like fashion. The meanders reach approximately 100 m near the village of Gornje Lopize.

Additionally, There are 12 arranged lookouts in the gorge. The most popular are Veliki Krš, Veliki Vrh, and Molitva.

Interestingly, the photos of the meanders are usually used in promotional touristic magazines from Serbia. The best-known panoramic images of the gorge were made by Molitv its well-known three points.

2. The Reserve has a terrain that is Karst in nature

Panoramic scenes of the Pester plateau, karst region in southwestern Serbia. Author Zcvetkovic.

Special Nature Reserve Uvac’s terrain is karst in nature. The terrain has various karstic features. This includes karst plains, uvulas sinkholes, caves, pits, and rock shelters.

3. The Reserve has Caves

The caves in the Reserve vary in size. 6,185 m of the UÅ¡ak Cave system has been explored. This made it to be ranked as the third longest cave in Serbia, after Lazar’s Cave and Cerje Cave. . It is estimated that the UÅ¡ak system is 250 million years old, but is still geologically active.

Moreover, the caves of the reserve are all rich in speleothems. This includes stalactites, stalagmites, drapes, and frostwork.

4. There are hydroelectric power stations within the reserve

At Special Nature Reserve Uvac, various hydroelectric stations can be spotted. Water from the Uvac river is used for three hydroelectric power stations within the reserve.

Each station has an artificial lake. The stations include Bistrica with Radoinja Lake, Kokin Brod with Zlatar Lake, and Sjenica with Sjenica Lake.

5. There are various plants and animals in the reserve

Special Nature Reserve Uvac is home to various species of animals and plants. The reserve has 219 plant species.

Out of the plants, 3 are of international importance, 3 are listed in the Red List, and 25 are placed under the controlled regime of picking and trading. Additionally, 50 are said to have medicinal properties.

The mammals in the reserve include wolves, bears, wild boars, foxes, hares, badgers, and European pine martens. Various mammals were categorized as rare and endangered in Serbia.

6. The main attraction in the reserve is the avifauna

Special Nature Reserve Uvac hosts various birds special in the Avifauna section. It has 172 bird species.

The Griffon vulture is one of the most important inhabitants of Uvac. It is one of two remaining vulture species which nest in Serbia.

The bird is large with a wingspan of up to 3 m. The bird has a unique place in the ecosystem’s food chain. It feeds solely on carcasses.

After World War II, the bird was on the brink of extinction. To save the bird, an area of the Uvac gorge was protected in 1971. However, the number of birds reduced to only 7 in the 1970s and 10 in 1990.

Interestingly, by 2017, the number of griffon vultures grew to 110 nesting couples. Thus an increase in this species was notable. The Griffon population at the reserve is the largest in the Balkans. Moreover, one of the largest in Europe.

As the population grew, in 2011 it was decided to return some birds to repopulate the Trebinje area again. The first specimen was resettled in 2015. Other birds in the protection include many species of hawks, owls, and, especially, eagles: white-tailed eagle, golden eagle, common buzzard, and short-toed snake eagle. Uvac is among the rare nesting areas of goosander in Serbia and the location of the largest recorded population of this bird in the Balkans.

7. Various Birds from Uvac roam all over Europe and the Middle East

Uvac Reserve. Author Zcvetkovic.

Birds found in Uvac have been spotted in 18 countries, going from Spain on the west to Yemen, 4,000 km on the southeast.

Seven birds have been detected in Israel which is 2000km away. They later returned to Uvac. For example, a female named Sara, which hatched in Uvac in 2011, was caught and satellite-tagged in Israel in 2012.

After the bird reached sexual maturity, she returned to Serbia in 2017. Tracking devices showed that some birds were flying high up to 10 km.
One male flew north to Poland. However, it was injured there. Luckily, it was transported back to the reserve by a Polish ambassador. 

8. There are birds named after various people

Special Nature Reserve Uvac Birds are named after various people. There was a vulture named Uroš the Weak who was the last Serbian emperor.

Additionally, another bird resident was a female named Dobrila. She hatched in 2018 in the Orlovica locality.

However, on her maiden long-distance trip that same year, she flew to the Turkish-Syrian border. She was found completely exhausted.
In the spring of 2019, a special flight was arranged for her and she was transported back to Uvac. In December 2020, she was found dead in the reserve. The bird was stuck between the four entangled hornbeam canopies.

9. A project for the Reintroduction of the Griffon vultures to the Stara Planina was Prepared

The population of the Griffon vultures increased at a higher rate. In the reserve, locations for nesting seemed fewer.

In 2009, a project for the reintroduction of the griffon vultures to the Stara Planina was prepared. birds used to live in this area of Eastern Serbia, at the border with Bulgaria. However, they went extinct in the late 1940s.

Due to financial difficulties, the project was put on suspension, though not scrapped. The reintroduction program continued in 2017.

The project was within the extent of a wider European program. The state bureaucracy continued to inhibit the project by 2020.

10. The Reserve is a Tourist attraction site

Uvac Reserve. Author Zcvetkovic.

It attracts tourists from all Conner’s of the world. As well as local tourists.