Degradation of landscape in Serbian ski resorts-aspects of scale and transfer of impacts

The environmental impacts in Serbian ski resorts (Kopaonik, Zlatibor, Stara planina, Div ibare) are very strong, leading to degradation of unique mountain landscape, and functionality losses. Processes of urbanization, construction or improvement works, cause hard degradation of topsoil and native vegetation. The logging, large excavation activities, erosion, noise and water pollution constantly impact the habitats of all animal and plant species residing in small areas. The process leads to severe fragmentation of the remaining old-growth forests, endangering future subsistence. Consequences of mismanagement in ski areas are noticeable in downstream sections of river beds, causing floods and bed-load deposition, with high concentration of pollutants, in reservoirs for water supply. Legal nature-protection standards are weakly implemented in regional ski areas. Effective protection of landscape in Serbian ski-areas is based on careful considerations of impact assessment at all levels of planning (spatial and urban planning) and designing activities, which enables application of restoration concept, in accordance with general goals of environmental protection (preserving biodiversity, CO2 sequestration, attenuation of effects of global climate changes).