Wetlands are important in terms of their biodiversity and need of protection, but are one of the most threatened habitats in all of Europe. Wetland habitats are important because of their site typical biodiversity, which depends on a functioning hydrological regime. While not generally species rich, these habitats support characteristic species and communities, adapted to the specific site conditions. Many of these species and habitats are officially classified as threatened. The conservation status of wetland Natura 2000 habitats in the Carpathians in the 2007 report (www.cdr.eionet.eu) is generally unfavourable (Galvánek & Kadlečík 2014). Wetlands in the Carpathians are usually small scale and threatened by human activities as cessation of traditional management practices, intensive grazing and anthropogenic changes to hydrology.
In order to raise awareness of the value of these ecosystems, aurhors have prepared an overview of the most important wetlands of the Carpathians, their vegetation description and distribution in orographical units.
