Researches of Field Evidence for Late Quaternary Climate Changes in the Highest Mountains of Bulgaria - Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe - page 143

Although Bulgaria is not as mountainous as some of the neighbour countries
are, here are found some of the highest mountain ranges - the most prominent of
them are Rila, with Musala peak (2,925 m a. s. l.) - the highest point of all the
Balkan peninsula, and Pirin (2,914 m a. s. l.) - the third highest after Mt. Olympos
in Greece. These two massifs provide remarkable geomorphic traces of past glacia-
tions from the cold phases during late Quaternary and this namely makes them
very appropriate for paleoclimatic researches. Alpine and sub-Alpine areas that are
spread above 2,200-2,300 m a. s. l. represent an environment of harsh and marginal
nature conditions that is very sensitive and vulnerable to climate changes.
In fact, concerning the diversity of applicable research methods, the target area
for environmental change researches in Bulgaria should be broadened to include
Rhodope mountains, Central and Western Stara planina, Vitosha and the moun-
tains along Bulgaria's western border (Fig. 12.2 ). Evidences from past glaciations at
lower elevations are quite rare, but in mid- and low-mountain areas the focus should
be on forests as indicators of past natural changes, because Bulgarian mountains
host the best preserved forest communities in the country.
Another key aspect of environmental change studies concerns monitoring of
environment's present state in order to make comparison to nature's states in the
past and also to directly measure present environmental change and to mark up the
trends in landscape's contemporary development. Here, once again, mountains are
in a leading position - especially the Alpine zone, because of the strong activity
of present natural processes, highest sensibility to environmental changes and still
quite limited human impact.
Fig. 12.2 Key mountain areas for environmental change studies in Bulgaria