Functions of forests

On Earth Day we were together with the students from the "Petko Rachev Slaveykov" Secondary School - Tryavna
On the occasion of Earth Day, April 22, experts from the Central Balkan National Park Directorate visited the Secondary School in Tryavna – “P. R. Slaveykov”, where they met with 22 students from the upper year of study.
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A lesson was given at the "Vasil Levski" Secondary School - Karlovo by an employee of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate
Last week, an employee of the park ranger of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate, together with a representative of the Mountain Rescue Service - Karlovo, gave an educational talk
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For 55 years now, the whole world has been celebrating Earth Day
On April 22, many people around the world join various initiatives and campaigns on the occasion of Earth Day
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The Directorate of the National Park is pleased to invite students in the high school stage of their studies between 8th and 12th grades to apply for participation in a youth international meeting under the EU's Erasmus+ program for supporting education, training, youth and sport in Europe.
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An expert from the Central Balkan National Park Directorate brought the forest to the preschool group of the St. Cyril and Methodius Primary School – Troyan
In connection with the Forest Week, the children from the preschool group of the St. Cyril and Methodius Primary School had the opportunity to learn more about the forest, its inhabitants and how we can protect them.
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Meeting with stakeholders for the Annual Plan for grazing and hay use prezentation
On the 15th of April, 2025, Tuesday, in the "Vasil Karaivanov" hall of the Municipality of Karlovo (town of Karlovo, "Petko Sabev" Str. №1), between representatives of the Central Balkan NP Directorate and candidate users of pastures in the Park a meeting will be held.
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The Central Balkan National Park Directorate celebrated Forest Week together with the Natural History Museum in the village of Cherni Osam
Yesterday, on the occasion of Forest Week, eco-activities were held with children from two age groups - from 1 to 4 grades and from 5 to 7 grades.
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Draft of an Annual plan for livestock grazing and using of hay in the Central Balkan NP
Draft of an Annual plan for livestock grazing and using of hay in the Central Balkan NP 2025 was announced with an Order of CBNPD Director.
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For more than a century, April 1st has been celebrating World Bird Day
April 1st was declared World Bird Day by the UN and has been celebrated since 1906, making it one of the oldest initiatives in the world.
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Today we celebrate 72 years since the declaration of the Djendema Reserve
On this date in 1953, in order to protect valuable species and their habitats, the "Djendema" reserve was declared.
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Preparation for the upcoming monitoring of species from the Gliridae family in the Central Balkan National Park
On March 21, employees of the Central Balkan National Park (CBNP) visited one of the sites for monitoring the species of the Gliridae family, located in the area of the Neshkovtsi Conservation Area, Troyan State Park.
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Celebrated Water Day together with the fifth graders from the "Vasil Levski" Primary School in the village of Shumata
On the occasion of World Water Day, employees of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate held educational eco-activities at the primary school in the village of Shumata, Sevlievo municipality.
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World Water Day 2025
Every year on March 22, the world celebrates World Water Day by conducting various campaigns and initiatives aimed at raising public awareness about the global water crisis.
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Violators with high-pass vehicles in the Central Balkan National Park have been sanctioned
Park Directorate employees detected unregulated movement of motor vehicles in the Park over the past weekend.
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Ranking in the competition procedures for Chief and Senior Expert in Natura 2000 field.
Ranking in the competition procedures for Chief and Senior Expert in Natura 2000 field.
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Returning home
On 28.02.2025, experts from the Directorate of the Central Balkan National Park and experts from Green Balkans released three birds.
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System for determining the results of tender procedures, opened by Order No. RD-25/ 27.01.2025 of the Director of DNPCB
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Educational meeting with young people from the National School for Mountain Guides in the village of Cherni Osam
On February 13, at the Natural History Museum - village of Cherni Osam, an expert from the Directorate of the Central Balkan National Park held an educational talk with students from the National School for Mountain Guides.
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Ranking in the competition procedure for Senior and Chief Expert in the management of Natura 2000 protected areas
Ranking in the competition procedure for Senior and Chief Expert in the management of Natura 2000 protected areas
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Ranking in the competition procedure for Chief inspector of Control and Security Department - North
Ranking in the competition procedure for Chief inspector of Control and Security Department - North
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World Wetlands Day – “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future!”
On 2 February, the world celebrated World Wetlands Day under the motto “Conserve Wetlands for Our Common Future.”
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Educational meeting with the "Youth Information Center" - Karlovo
The experts of Directorate introduced teenagers from the Youth Information Center - Karlovo and their Romanian guests from Asociatia Mod of Life to the activities of the Central Balkan National Park (NBNP)
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Experts from the Central Balkan National Park participated in the international Midwinter Waterfowl Census
Experts of the Park Directorate participated in the Midwinter Waterfowl Census initiative in the country. They were responsible for surveying 6 large and several smaller water bodies.
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Happy International Mountain Day!
Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve was accepted as a member of the World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves this year.
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Illegally parked van removed from Dzhendema Reserve
After a Central Balkan National Park Directorate employees’ action, an illegally placed van with a surveillance camera and a feeder for wild animals was removed from the territory of the Dzhendema Reserve.
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EMERGENCY ACTION AGAINST MOTORISTS IN THE TERRITORY OF THE CENTRAL BALKAN NATIONAL PARK
On November 2nd and 3rd, an action was held against the unregulated movement of motorcycles on the territory of Central Balkan National Park, led by the Director of the protected area - Georgi Krastev, with the participation of employees from several park sections.
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Central Balkan National Park Directorate celebrated the International Day of Biosphere Parks, November 3, with festival events
On the occasion of the International Day for Biosphere Reserves Central Balkan National Park Directorate held three festival events in the municipal centers of the transition zone of the Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve - in Troyan on October 19, in Sevlievo on October 26 and in Karlovo on November 2
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We are celebrating 33 years since the declaration of the Central Balkan National Park with the exhibition View of the Balkans
On the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of Central Balkan, the Directorate of the park opened an exhibition entitled "View of the Balkans", which collected 15 selected photographs from the amateur photography competition held this year.
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"Study on forest ecosystems in mountain water catchments in Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve" project launched
Study on forest ecosystems in mountain water catchments in Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve" is among the five projects selected in 2024 for Europe and North America.
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Central Balkan National Park employees found the carcass of a killed bear
The competent authorities have been notified and the case is being investigated
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What you need to know when visiting Central Balkan National Park
Wildlife has a right to privacy. Preserve it in its natural state by using wisely your right to recreation and knowledge.
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We celebrate International Ranger Day
Central Balkan National Park Directorate marked the date from the nature protection calendar with two consecutive events.
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The fire in Central Balkan has been extinguished
The rain that fell around 16:00 over the area helped to bring the fire under control. For more than 72 hours, efforts to extinguish it continued in the Steneto reserve on the territory of Central Balkan National Park.
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Central Balkan National Park Directorate and Ethnographic Open- Air Museum ETAR celebrated Saint John's Day
In connection with the celebration of the holiday of medicinal plants on June 23 and 24, visitors to the museum had the opportunity to learn more about herbs from experts of the Park Directorate.
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The first celebration of the Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve was held in the city of Sevlievo
On Sunday (October 1) in the central city square in the city of Sevlievo, the festival event under the title "Common Future for People and Nature", organized by Central Balkan National Park Directorate, supported by Sevlievo Municipality.
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Forests perform numerous and interrelated social, economic and ecological functions, sometimes simultaneously and in the same place. Preserving this multifunctionality requires a balanced management approach. The forests within the Central Balkan National Park have predominant ecological and social functions, as they are not subject to direct economic use through logging.
Social functions of forests in the Central Balkan National Park
Protection of settlements and infrastructure
Although there are no settlements within the Park and the infrastructure in it is minimized, the forests in the Central Balkan perform protective functions by preventing landslides, mudflows, falling rocks and avalanches. This also has a beneficial effect on nearby settlements, roads, railways, and arable land, since the forests within the Park are not isolated from the rest of the world, but are an inseparable whole with the surrounding territories and forests and inevitably improve the protective functions of the entire ecosystem.
Recreational functions
Forests are a key element of the mountain landscape of the Central Stara Planina. They bring visitors to the Park a sense of relaxation, connection with nature, and provide opportunities for various forms of recreation, sports, and entertainment. Visits to the mountains and forests contribute to improving health and a sense of enrichment both spiritually and experientially. Access to the forests provides an opportunity to collect herbs, mushrooms, and wild fruits, which also increases the benefits of communicating with nature.
Ecological functions of forests in the Central Balan National Park
Soil protection
Forest areas contribute to soil protection and improvement of their fertility. Forests prevent soil erosion and desertification, especially in mountainous or semi-arid areas, mainly by reducing water runoff and wind speed, and have soil retention properties.
They also enrich and increase the depth of the soils on which they grow, thanks to their thick and thin roots, which lead to faster rock breakdown. Also, the decomposition of their biological mass during natural processes of litter and leaf fall becomes an important source of soil organic matter. Thus, they contribute to soil fertility and productivity.
They participate in the water cycle and provide fresh water
Forests play an important role in the storage, purification and release of water to surface water bodies and underground aquifers. Their purification role, together with that of forest soils, consists in decomposing and absorbing most of the pollutants carried by rain into the air. Forest soils act as a buffer for large amounts of water, reducing the risk of flooding. Forests play a major role in the global water cycle. They store large amounts of water, but also release it back into the atmosphere through the process of transpiration. Forests thus play an important role in air circulation and the water cycle on land, and can play a role in mitigating the effects of regional climate change, desertification and water supply problems.
Conserving biodiversity
Forests are a key element of European nature and are home to the largest number of vertebrates on the continent. Tree species, such as the common beech in the Central Balkans, are virtually unique to Europe and give European forests their distinctive character. Thousands of species of insects and invertebrates, as well as many plants, live in forest habitats dominated by these trees. But also different types of forests are a prerequisite for greater species diversity, both of the accompanying plant species and of animals with other ecological preferences. It is precisely the maintenance of diversity in forest types and their protection that leads to a better implementation of this functionality of forest habitats.
Climate regulation
Forests are an important link in the global carbon cycle due to their ability to extract CO2 from the atmosphere and retain it in their biomass and soil, acting as a sink. Their growth neutralizes the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. On the other hand, forest degradation and/or its conversion into land for other purposes can cause significant greenhouse gas emissions due to the possibility of fires, biomass decay and/or mineralization of soil organic matter, which turns forests into a source of CO2.
As already mentioned, forests participate in the water cycle on land and play an important role in air circulation, which in turn affects the microclimate at a regional level, affecting humidity, wind strength, air dustiness, local temperature, etc.
Of course, just as forests affect climate regulation, climate affects forests, which has recently become increasingly challenging for them and for humanity. For millennia, the development of forests has followed the naturally changing climate. Since the climate has changed slowly and there have been few constraints on the natural environment, the evolution and adaptation of species and communities has been easier. The high rate of human-induced climate change is currently hindering the natural ability of ecosystems to adapt. Temperatures are rising at an unprecedented rate. Landscape fragmentation, simplification of forest composition and structure, and negative events such as forest drying, the emergence of new pests, and natural disturbances such as fires and storms make autonomous forest adaptation even more difficult. All of this requires a systemic approach - both at the local and global levels.