The Natural Potential of Mountains in Bulgaria and Its Sustainable Use - Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe - page 57

The recreational-tourist potential of the mountains, related to water, is extremely
important, for example sites that are usually appropriate for mass forms of recreation
and tourism are the numerous mountain rivers, the hundreds of high-mountain lakes
in Rila (140) and Pirin (119) and artificial water reservoirs in the lower zones of all
mountains, as well as the numerous attractive waterfalls. Mineral water occupies a
special place within the recreational-tourist activity. It is connected mainly to fault
zones in the mountainous areas - representing in total about 70% of all the mineral
water deposits in the country. This natural mountain resource is traditionally used
in a number of outstanding balneological centers including Hisarya, Pavel Banya,
Narechen, Devin, Velingrad, Kyustendil, Sandanski, etc., as well as for production
of bottled mineral water.
5.2.4 Assessment of the Soils, Vegetation and Animal World
The soil potential of the mountains is evaluated by means of the forests and pastures,
developed mainly on mountain soil types, formed on 3.71 million hectares, and par-
tially of arable lands, amounting to about 1.64 million hectares (more than one-third
of the arable lands in the country, which are 4.5 million hectares). However, it has
to be noted that the main part of the more than 1 million hectares of arable land
abandoned during the last several decades is in the mountain areas (Raykov, In:
The natural and economic potential of the mountains in Bulgaria, 1989 ). One of the
major features of the soil cover in the Bulgarian mountains is the great soil diversity
and the shallow profile of almost all soil types, distributed in the mountains. The
respective soil belts are formed by increasing altitude and the regularly changing
climatic conditions (lower temperatures and higher moistening).
The soil potential of the mountains, measured by soil fertility, represents the
basis for the development of forestry and mountain agriculture. Concentrated in
the mountains are more than 70% of the forest resources and about two-thirds of the
plant species and phytocenoses encountered in the country, about 65% of the areas
suitable for growing oriental tobacco and potatoes, more than 85% of the areas
under meadow, and more than 70% of the common pastures and other pastures in
the country (The mountain regions in the Republic of Bulgaria, 1994 ).
The natural vegetation in the Bulgarian mountains, in addition to its high species
diversity, is characterized also by high endemism and relictness. From the known
ca. 250 species and subspecies of Bulgarian endemics more than 150 occur in the
mountains - mainly in the Rhodopes, Pirin, Rila and Stara Planina. Also, the pre-
dominating number of Balkan endemics occurs mainly in Bulgaria. The tertiary
relicts are also typical. All this distinguishes the Bulgarian mountains as foci of flora
species formation not only on Bulgarian territory (Velchev et al, in: The natural and
economic potential of the mountains in Bulgaria, 1989 ).
The following vegetation zones are distinguished in the mountains with height:
Mediterranean vegetation belt (up to 300-400/500 m) mainly with cenoses of
Quercus coccifera , tree-like juniper ( Juniperus excelsa Bieb.), etc. - along the
mountain slopes towards the Struma and Mesta River valleys and in the East
Rhodopes; xerothermic oak forest belt (up to 600-700 m) - developed in