conserving important plant areas: investing - Plantlife

BORIS ASSYOV
Introduction
Extensive spruce forests near Smolyanski
Lakes in Trigrad-Perelik-Persenk IPA,
Bulgaria.
Europe (2001-2004), where IPAs were identified by Plantlife International and partner
organisations in seven countries. This current report also includes additional
information on IPA projects in Serbia and Turkey from projects that took place
independently of Plantlife International but used the accepted IPA methodology.
The aim of the IPA programme in the South East European project countries was
twofold:
● to identify IPAs and collate site based data on their botanical features, protection
status, management, land use and the major threats affecting them;
● to demonstrate conservation activities at IPAs through a series of local conservation
pilot projects, where the starting point was the plants.
The importance of conserving the South East European flora
South East Europe or the Balkan Peninsula contains the richest flora of any region in
Europe. It possesses greater species numbers than any other European region including
around 1800 endemic vascular plant species (growing only on this peninsula and
nowhere else in the World).This diversity is a result of the peninsula’s geomorphology,
climate and the profound affect of human activity. Relict species persist on the Balkan
Peninsula that found refuge on the mountains formed in the Tertiary uplift and
associated ice ages. Classic examples in the project countries include the Macedonian
Pine (Pinus peuce) or the vascular plant genera Haberlea, Jankaea and Ramonda). Since
8 CONSERVING IMPORTANT PLANT AREAS: INVESTING IN THE GREEN GOLD OF SOUTH EAST EUROPE