Pirin - Nature

Nature

Pirin has rich and varied flora and fauna. More than 1,300 plant species have been found up to this moment, which is roughly 1/3 all plant species to be found in the country; 320 lichen species; several hundred algae species. There are 18 endemic plant species which include Pirin Poppy, Pirin Meadowsweet, Pirin Thyme, David Mullein and other. Many plants are extremely rare and under protection such as the beautiful Edelweiss. The vegetation is vertically zoned into three elevation lines: tree, subalpine and alpine. The tree line is covered predominantly with coniferous species such as European Black Pine, Scots Pine, Macedonian Pine, Bosnian Pine, Spruce, Bulgarian Fir and reaches approximately altitude of 2,000 m. Up to 2,500 m is the subalpine line, dominated by Mountain Pine and Juniper whose size decrease as the altitude rises. The alpine line is situated above 2,500 m, covered with grass, moss, lichen and abundant in Bilberry. The vegetation around the streams and the lakes is more specific with Pinworm being common. The most famous tree in Pirin is the Baikushev's Pine, names after the forest-guard who found it. This tree is more than 1,300 years old which makes it almost as ancient as Bulgaria.

There are more than 2,000 invertebrates (spiders, centipedes, insects, snails) and 250 vertebrate species. The latter include 177 bird, 45 mammal and only 6 fish species. Many of these are endangered and need special protection: The most common animals include The most common animals include: Chamois, Brown Bear, Wolf, Roe Deer, Red Deer, Wild boar, Eurasian Badger, Red Fox, Eagles and Falcons, Capercaillie, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Woodpeckers.

In order to protect the rich wildlife in the mountain the Vihren National Park was created in 1962, which was renamed Pirin National Park in 1975. It has an area of 403,32 km². The park protects the largest forests of Macedonian and Bosnian Pine in the country as well as many rare and endemic species. There are several nature reserves which account for 15% of the total area. The National Park was designed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.