Conservation and Sustainable Management of These Resources Could Be a Challenging Task Requiring Scientific Knowledge and Proper Management
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1 Page Content Introduction 4 The Programme „Man and Biosphere“ of UNESCO and participation of Bulgaria 5 in the world network of biosphere reserve. Current status of the biosphere reserves. Aims of the study 6 Materials and methods Results and discussions 7 Biosphere reserve “Alibotush” 8 Study area 8 Geographic situation 8 Climate 8 Studies on the flora and vegetation of Slavyanka Mountains 9 Results and discussions 10 Biosphere reserve “Bayuvi Doupki – Dzhindzhiritza” 25 Study area 25 Geographic situation 25 Climate 25 Studies on the flora and vegetation of Pirin Mountains 25 Results and discussions 26 References 42 2 Page Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere thanks to Dr. Peter Zhelev for his invaluable help throughout all studies, both in field studies and in analysis and discussing the results. Special thanks are due to my mother Elka Aneva, for her constant support and for joining me in most of the field trips in the biosphere reserves. 3 Page Introduction One of the main tasks of biosphere reserves is to provide examples for sustainable and long-term use and conservation of nature and natural resources. This task is much more realistic today, after implementing the rules of Seville strategy and establishment of biosphere reserves meeting all modern requirements – with core zone, buffer zone and zone of sustainable coexistence of nature and human population. This is even more important in areas where people’s livelihood strongly depends on the natural resources, like timber, non-timber forest product and agricultural production. Non- timber natural resources are classified into different categories – wild fruits, hay and other fodder plants, bee keeping, and many others, including the other ecosystem services. One category, which is of particular importance in some countries, is that of medicinal plants. Wild-growing medicinal plants are a major renewable resource of Bulgaria (Evstatieva et al., 2007). According to Medicinal Plants Act of Bulgaria (2002), they represent 20 % of the vascular flora of the country. There are long-term traditions in their use in Bulgaria and people keep the traditions in this respect. However, nature conservation activities and protected territories pose some restriction that should be considered. Depending on the status of the protected territory, collecting of medicinal plants could be prohibited, could be under special regime, or for personal needs only. These circumstances provide opportunities for differential study of medicinal plants collection and use in Bulgaria. One of these opportunities is to study the development of process of sustainable use of medicinal plants in biosphere reserves. Such study could provide information, first, about the effectiveness of biosphere reserves, second, about people’s attitude to the limitations resulting from the conservation status of the territory, and third, about the ethnobotanical traditions in the respective region. The study could help also to understand the existing problems related to these resources, and to develop a strategy for their sustainable use and conservation. 4 Page The Programme „Man and Biosphere“ of UNESCO and participation of Bulgaria in the world network of biosphere reserve. Current status of the biosphere reserves. The Programme „Man and Biosphere“ (MAB) of UNESCO played an important role in nature conservation through the establishment of the world network of biosphere reserves. At the time of the start of Programme (the early 1970s), the main objective was to improve the relationships between humans and their environment. Bulgaria joined the Programme MAB announcing 17 territories for biosphere reserves, among them “Alibotush” and “Bayuvi Dupki-Dzhindzhiritza”, and became one of the countries with the most represented networks in Europe. In 1982 their number became 16. During the first years of the Programme implementation biosphere reserves were considered representative ecosystems from different biogeographic regions, with the main objective conservation of natural complexes unaffected by the human activities, with valuable genetic resources and providing opportunities for research, education and monitoring. After adopting of Seville Strategy and Legal Framework for biosphere reserves in 1995, the modern biosphere reserves, besides zones for strict conservation, were expected to have also buffer zones, and transitional zones. Implementation of sustainable practices, guaranteeing the economic development of the respective regions and nature conservation was encouraged in the transitional zones. About 2016 the biosphere reserves in Bulgaria did not meet the modern requirements of the Programme, because all they belonged to the category with the strictest protection regime, according to Protected Territories Act of Bulgaria – reserve and maintained reserve. Therefore, activities related to sustainable use of natural resources were not allowed. Bulgaria was due to fulfil its obligations according to Seville Strategy and to propose either excluding the reserves from MAB Programme, or to adapt the existing reserves to the new requirements. In relation to that, eight regions with “first-generation” biosphere reserves were studied, including the places where the two reserves of the present project. It should be 5 noted that an obligatory attribute of the nominations for contemporary biosphere reserves in the Page Declaration of agreement, issued by the respective municipalities, where the territories of the proposed reserves are. As a result of the project activities, four territories were distinguished, having potential to meet the modern requirements for biosphere reserve, and nomination documents were prepared, in order their transformation into post-Seville biosphere parks. The other biosphere reserves were excluded from the list of MAB Programme. Meantime, in April and May 2017, the municipalities situated close to other five biosphere reserves deposed official letters expressing their interest to provide the necessary territory in order to meet all the requirements to upgrade the “first-generation” biosphere reserves into modern ones. The reserve “Alibotush” was also among them. Therefore, Bulgaria applied for deferment of one year to prepare all the documents necessary for nomination of five modern biosphere reserves, including “Alibotush”. As a result of this initiative, the five biosphere reserves still are a part of the world network and hopefully, they will become “new-generation” biosphere reserves. Aims of the study Medicinal plants are among the most important natural plant resources, receiving growing attention worldwide. Conservation and sustainable management of these resources could be a challenging task requiring scientific knowledge and proper management. Resources of medicinal plants could be very important for the livelihood of the local people, and especially in protected areas where the use of timber resources is prohibited or limited. The present project focuses to medicinal plants in two biosphere reserves in Southwestern Bulgaria. The objects of study include two biosphere reserves: “Alibotush”, situated in Slavyanka Mts (Fig. 1), and “Bayuvi Doupki-Dzhindzhiritza”, situated in Pirin Mts (Fig. 2). First reserve is surrounded by territories subjected to management for both economic and conservation purposes, while the second one is situated within the national park “Pirin” and is thus surrounded by protected territories with different regime. 6 Page Materials and methods Methods of study consist of field inventory of medicinal plant diversity and quantitative evaluation of resources of the more important species. An assessment of the quantities collected by the people was implemented and the information gathered was used for evaluation of opportunities for sustainable management of medicinal plant resources, for informing the public about the importance of these resources and for designing of management strategy. Full inventory of the plant species was performed and evaluation of population status of model medicinal plants was done. The evaluation is based on the density and population size. Field observations were carried out in sample plots of different size, depending on the species. During the observations in the field GPS coordinates, altitude, some biotic and abiotic factors have 7 been described. Page Biosphere reserve “Alibotush” Study area The reserve Alibotush” is situated in Slavyanka Montains, in Southwestern Bulgaria, close to the border between Bulgaria and Greece. According to the administrative subdivision, the area of Alibotush is within Blagoevgrad province, in the land of the villages Goleshevo (Sandanski municipality), Paril and Nova Lovcha (Hadzhidimovo municipality). The reserve “Alibotush” spreads on an area of 16 381,194 dka , according to the Order № RD- 206/04.03.2013 of the Minister of Environment and Waters of Bulgaria (State Gazette, No 33, 2013) for updating of the protected territory. The reserve „Alibotush“ was declared on 29.06.1952 (with and area of 528,8 hectares). Its objective was to conserve unique relic forests of Bosnian Pine (Pinus heldreichii Christ), Black Pine (Pinus nigra Arn.), King Boris’ Fir (Abies borisii-regis Mattf.), as well as rich plant and animal life with numerous rare and endangered species. On March 1, 1977, the reserve was included in the list of the biosphere reserves, according to the Programme “Man and Biosphere” of UNESCO. In the course of years, it has undergone enlargement of the area (1980, 1985, 1998, 2007)