Biodiversity of Kosovo

Kosovo is characterised by a diverse biodiversity and an abundance of different ecosystems and habitats determined by the climate along with the geology and hydrology.^[1] Predominantly mountainous, it is located at the center of the Balkan Peninsula bounded by Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, and Albania to the southwest.

Most of the country is geographically defined by the plains of Dukagjini and Kosovo. It is framed along its borders by the Albanian Alps in the west and the Sharr Mountains in the southeast, which are simultaneously, in terms of plant and animal species, the most important and diverse areas of the country.^[2][3]

The climate of the country is a combination of a continental and a mediterranean climate, with four distinct seasons. It is mostly defined by its geographical location in Southeastern Europe and strongly influenced by the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Sea within the Mediterranean Sea.^[1]

In terms of phytogeography, the land area of Kosovo lies within the Boreal Kingdom, specifically within the Illyrian province of the Circumboreal Region. Its territory can be subdivided into two terrestrial ecoregions of the Palearctic realm, the Balkan and Dinaric mixed forests.

The forests are the most widespread terrestrial ecosystem in Kosovo and currently protected by particular laws of the Constitution of Kosovo.^[4] Most of the forests are important because they provide shelter and protection to hundreds of plant and animal species of national and international importance.