FORESTS IN SLOVAK REPUBLIC, FORESTS IN EUROPE 
Nature and landscape protection
Forests play a decisive role in the creation and conservation of the environment and maintenance of ecological balance. The total area of forests in protected areas including their buffer zones was 1.1 mill. hectares (23.1 percent of the national territory). Forest cover in the areas under 2nd-5th level of protection is a staggering 72.6 percent. The State Nature Conservancy of SR (SNC) registers a total of 9 National parks (NP) - Tatra National Park, Pieniny National Park, NP Low Tatra, NP Slovak Paradise, NP Low Fatra, NP Muránska planina, NP Poloniny, NP High Fatra and NP Slovak karst, 14 protected landscape areas (PLA), and 703 small-scale protected areas as national nature reserves, nature reserves, nature monuments and protected sites.
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Status of chamois is in last years increased and stabilized
| Rare central European herbivores represent a few exemplars of European bison
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| Rescue programs develop for preservation of rare vascular plants (Drosera) | Carpathians primeval forests are under UNESCO protection (Stužica)
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Natura 2000
The national list of proposed Sites of Community Interests (pSCIs) has been approved by the Government of SR (Decree No 239/2004). This official commitment started development of a national network of Natura 2000 sites, an integral part of a wider European network of these sites. The list contains 382 pSCIs on the total area of 573 thousands hectares (11.7 percent of the Slovak territory). 86.5 percent of these areas are situated on forest land.
Forest-related sites nominated for UNESCO protection include the following: karst valleys of Slovakia; nature reserves of Tatra NP; natural and cultural landscape of the Danube River; mycoflora of the Bukovské vrchy Hills; and the Carpathian beech primeval forests featuring NNR Stužica – Bukovské vrchy Hills, NNR Havešová, NNR Rožok, and NNR Vihorlat. In a broader context of cultural and spiritual dimension of forests, 477 different sites with 1,317 specimens of protected trees have received special acknowledgement. On top of that, there are a number of other protected sites and protected landscape elements (arboreta, orchards, gardens, etc.) found in Slovakia. Special Protection Areas (SPAs) represent another category of Natura 2000 sites. The total area of proposed and designated SPAs currently amounts to
1 154 thousands hectares of which 51.6 % overlap with the existing network of PAs. The area of already designated SPAs is about 357 667 hectares.
