Pilot investigations of lichens in 20 Bulgarian protected territories along the Black Sea coast, along the Danube River, and in the mountains Strandzha, Stara Planina, Sredna Gora and Vitosha. Implications for species conservation.

Abstract

The studies of lichenized fungi (called hereafter with shorter common term lichens) in Bulgaria date back more than a century. However, according to the available literature, so far there are no specialized lichen studies in most Bulgarian protected areas. At the same time, lichens are included as a mandatory element of biodiversity in the templates of modern management plans of the Ministry of Environment and Waters of the country. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to give information on lichen species and their conservation significance in 20 Bulgarian protected natural areas, collected for the preparation of their first or updated management plans, with proposals for their conservation assessment and for considering the ecosystem services they provide in the harboring ecosystems. During the study totally 84 lichen species from 46 genera, 21 families, 8 orders and 2 classes were found. Their distribution by numbers and relevant ecological groups in each protected area with a complete species list is provided below. As it could be expected, the number of species varied strongly in different protected territories, depending on their areas and main subject of conservation. For almost all studied protected areas, the data provided in the present paper are practically the first ones. Exceptions are the Reserves Bogdan, Bistrishko Branishte and Torfeno Branishte. In addition, the threats on the species Lobaria pulmonaria and Cetraria islandica are discussed with underlining the need for their protection.