Description of the park

What is a national park?

National park - protected area managed especially for the protection of ecosystems and for recreation". IUCN Category II.

It overlaps with:

1 scientific reserve (IUCN category I)
10 nature reserves (IUCN category IV)
2 Natura 2000 sites (SCI, SPA)
1 UNESCO site (forests)

Location of the Park

Semenic National Park - Cheile Caraşului has an area of ​​36,051 ha and is located in southwest Romania, in the center of Caraş-Severin County, the northern area of ​​the Anina Mountains and the eastern area of ​​the Semenic Mountains.
The administrative-territorial units that partially overlap in the park are: Resita, Caraşova, Goruia, Anina, Bozovici, Prigor, Teregova, Văliug. The localities located at the ends of the park are Reşiţa (Cuptoare district) to the north, Bozovici (Poneasca settlement) to the south, Teregova to the east and Garlişte to the west.
ØThe park stretches over two mountain units totally different in terms of geomorphology and hydrology and houses a great diversity of flora and fauna.
Semenic Mountains (55%). Made up of well-forested metamorphic, magmatic rocks with relatively gentle slopes, they are the source of a large part of the important rivers of Banat, the maximum elevation is 1446.9m in Vf. Gozna.
Anina Mountains (45%). Made up of strongly karstified sedimentary rocks, quite well forested, they are furrowed by gorges and sinkhole valleys separated by plateaus with slates. They house over 800 caves and caves in the park area. The maximum height in the park is 955.3m at the top of Certej.

Natural reserves

2.2.8.2. Caraşului Keys
2.2.8.3. The springs of Caraș
2.2.8.4. The Black Springs
2.2.8.5. Gârlista Gorges
2.2.8.6. Bârzavita
2.2.8.7. Buhui - Marghitaş Reserve
2.2.8.8. Comarnic Cave
2.2.8.9. Popovaţ cave
2.2.9.0. Buhui cave
IV.15. Explorers Cave 85

The area covered with forest within the Semenic National Park – Cheile Carașului is approximately 31,000 hectares.
The largest extension is the beech forests, which occupy over 80% of the surface of the national park, the rest of the surface being covered with coniferous and mixed forests. The forest vegetation is almost entirely made up of pure beech trees, some with plurial structures and full consistency.

Flora

The particularly varied conditions in the area of ​​the Banat Mountains have determined the establishment of a flora rich in cormophyte species, respectively a number of 1277 species, spread in different biotopes characteristic of the reference perimeter of the protected natural area. We present you some specimens of species such as: Orchids (Orchidaceae), Forest lily (Lilium martagon), Mottled tulip (Fritillaria meleagris).

Fauna

The fauna is represented by 672 species, of which over 80 species are protected by international conventions and European directives (90 national red list, 41 Bern, 32 birds directive)

The forest diversity of the Semenic-Cheile Carașului National Park is special because within it faunal elements from different regions of the world are found, having a special evolution, due to the Carpathian orogeny and the quaternary climatic disturbances.