The Balkan mixed forests are a terrestrial ecoregion of southeastern Europe according to both the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency. It belongs in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome and the Palearctic realm.
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Balkan mixed forests in the context of Koritnik
Koritnik (Albanian definite form: Koritniku) is a wooded, limestone mountain, located in northeastern Albania and southwest Kosovo between the cities of Kukës and Prizren. The mountain is entirely surrounded by branches of the White Drin river. The highest point of Koritnik massif, Maja e Pikëllimës reaches an elevation of 2,393 metres (7,851 ft) above the Adriatic. Gryka e Vanavës (English: Vanave Gorge) separates the mountain from Gjallica. The gorge is 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long, 30 m (100 ft) wide, and about 300 m (980 ft) deep.
The massif falls within the Balkan mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. The slopes of the mountain meadows are mostly covered with coniferous forests. The high pastures of the Koritnik mountain help sustain a population of around 60 chamois.
Balkan mixed forests in the context of Gjallica
Gjallica or Gjallica e Lumës is a limestone mountain at 2,487 m (8,159 ft) above sea level and the highest summit in the region of Kukës County, Albania. It lies 8 km (5 mi) southeast of the city of Kukës, having a cap covered by snow up to June when the winters are cold and snowy.
The mountain falls within the Balkan mixed forests and Dinaric Mountains mixed forests terrestrial ecoregions of the Palearctic Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. The slopes of the mountain are entirely covered with coniferous forests. It has thick vegetation of pines and beeches on high altitude, but sparse vegetation on the foot of the mountain due to the now closed plant that emitted harmful gases for the vegetation close to it. Gjallica appears to be very tall because the Black Drin valley to its west is only 250 m (820 ft) above sea level.
Balkan mixed forests in the context of Northern Mountain Range (Albania)
The Northern Mountain Region (Albanian: Krahina Malore Veriore) is a geographical region in northern Albania. It is one of the four mountain regions of Albania, the others being Central Mountain Range, Southern Mountain Range, and Western Lowlands. The northern range encompasses the Albanian Alps extending from the Lake Shkodër shared with Montenegro in the northwest through the Valbonë Valley to the Drin Valley in the east. The area falls within the Dinaric Mountains mixed forests and Balkan mixed forests terrestrial ecoregions of the Palearctic Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests.
Inside the Northern Mountain Range, there are two national parks and a nature reserve, namely Theth National Park, Valbonë Valley National Park and Gashi River Nature Reserve. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the nature reserve as Category I, while the national parks as Category II. In 2017, the Gashi River was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Primeval beech forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe.