National park of Pirin

The national park of Pirin extends on the major part of the mountains Pirin in south-west of the Bulgaria. The park is registered with the Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO. It extends on a surface from 274 km ² (27 400 ha), at an altitude going of 1008 to 2914 meters.

Two natural reserves are located within the limits of the park, Bayuvi Dupki– Dzhindzhiritsa, one of the oldest reserves of the country, and Yulen.

History

The limits of the park and its size underwent many changes during time.

The national park of Vihren was created the November 8th 1962 with an aim of preserving the forests located in the highest parts of the mountain. The park had a surface of 62 km ², which corresponds at a small portion of its current territory. The park was famous “Park of the people of Pirin” in 1974 by a ministerial decree and its territory was increased considerably.

The administration of the park was created in 1979 and its seat is located at Bansko. The park was registered with the list of the world heritage of UNESCO in 1983, and after a law on the protection of spaces was adopted in 1998, the sector was proclaimed National park.

Flora

The great diversity of relief of the park is one of the reasons as of the variety of the floristic species of its territory, which does of it one of the most interesting zones of Bulgaria in botany. A general prospection of the flora of Pirin was led at the end of the 19th-beginning 20th century

Approximately 1300 species of higher plants can be observed within the park, which constitutes more than 30% of the whole of the higher plants of Bulgaria. Who more is, approximately 300 species of foams and a big number of algae was given.

The park shelters a total of 18 endemic species , 15 endemic Bulgarian and several endemic of Balkans, as well as a broad quantity of protected spaces, like the Edelweiss, one of the symbols of Pirin. The full number of protected spaces amounts to approximately 60, while 126 species are registered on the red list of the species threatened in Bulgaria.

Three stages of vegetation are differentiated within the national park from Pirin: a forest zone, subalpine and alpine, because of high-altitude of the park.

Fauna

A very great number of animal species are protected in the park, in particular because of diversity of the relief and its southernmost geographical poition.

Approximately 2090 species and subspecies of invertebrates are inventoried in the park, including 300 rare species, 214 endemic and 175 relictuelles, as 15 species include on the lists of species threatened with the international level.

Six fish species live in the park (that is to say 6% of the fresh water fish settlement of Bulgaria), like eight species of Amphibians and 11 reptiles.

The number of species of birds which can be observed in the park is relatively high - approximately 160, is 40% of all the Bulgarian avifauna.

45 terrestrial mammals (including 12 species of bat) live in the national park of Pirin, which represents half of the full number of species of the country. Among them one meets the wild, endemic goat's milk cheese of Balkans, as well as the Brown bear.

See too

Sources

External bonds

official Internet site
World Conservation Monitoring Centers
Official UNESCO website entry
Pirin National Park At BulgariaTravel.org

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