The Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park (Romanian: Parcul Național Domogled-Valea Cernei) is a protected area classified as a national park under IUCN category II. It is located in Romania within the administrative areas of the counties Caraș-Severin, Gorj, and Mehedinți.
Location
The National Park covers the Cerna Mountains and the Godeanu Mountains on the east side, and the Vâlcan Mountains and the Mehedinți Mountains on the west side. It is found in the Retezat-Godeanu Mountains group, which is part of the Southern Carpathians, and it lies within the Cerna River basin.
Description
Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park covers an area of 61,211 hectares (151,260 acres). It was established as a protected area by Law Number 5 on March 6, 2000 (published in Romanian Official Paper Number 152 on April 12, 2000). The park includes mountainous features such as cirques, mountain peaks, sinkholes, limestone pavements, caves, pit caves, valleys, and waterfalls. It is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life, including some species that are rare or found only in this region.
Protected areas within the park include:
- In Caraș-Severin County: Coronini-Bedina (3,864.80 ha), Domogled (2,382.80 ha), Iardașița (501.60 ha), Iauna – Craiova (1,545.10 ha), Bârzoni Cave (0.10 ha)
- In Gorj County: Piatra Cloșanilor (1,730 ha), Cheile Corcoaiei (34 ha), Ciucevele Cernei (1,166 ha)
- In Mehedinți County: Vârful lui Stan (120 ha), Valea Țesna (160 ha)
The natural area includes many types of habitats, such as Beech forests (Symphyto-Fagion), Asperulo-Fagetum beech forests, Cephalanthero-Fagion Medio-European beech forests, Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae), Acidophilous forests of Picea abies in the mountain region (Vaccinio-Piceetea), Illyrian forests of Fagus sylvatica (Aremonio-Fagion), Tilio-Acerion forests on steep slopes, screes, and ravines, Beech forests of Luzulo Fagetum type, Illyrian oak forests with hornbeam (Erythronio-Carpiniori), Alpine and boreal shrubberies, Peri-Pannonian subcontinental shrubberies, Alpine and subalpine calcareous meadows, Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty, or clayey soils (Molinion caeruleae), Pannonian rocky meadows (Stipo Festucetalia pallentis), Semi-natural dry meadows and shrub facies on calcareous substratum (Festuco Brometalia), Calcareous rock-dwelling plants communities or basiphytic meadows of Alysso-Sedion albi, Tree line communities of tall hygrophilous grasses from lowland to montane and alpine levels, Medio-European calcareous screes of hill and montane levels, Siliceous screes of the montane to alpine levels (Androsacetalia alpinae and Galeopsietalia ladani), Mountain meadows, Caves closed to the public, Petrifying springs with travertine formation (Cratoneurion), Rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation on calcareous rocks, Sub-Mediterranean forest vegetation with the endemic Pinus nigra ssp. banatica, and Herbaceous vegetation on the banks of mountain rivers. These habitats support a diverse range of plant and animal life found in the Carpathian range of the Retezat-Godeanu Mountains.
- Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park
- Băile Herculane
- Godeanu mountains