Strandja - Preserved areas in Bulgaria
Strandja is rich with its archaeological proofs - sun disks, cuts in the rocks, Tracian dolmens, (similar to Stonehenge in Wales, UK), stone figures, fortress walls and defense ramparts (over 57) and in the end - numerous caves (more than 20) where there are traces of past human presence.
South from Bourgas when reaching the estuary of Ropotamo the picture suddenly changes. Going westwards the sea waves give place to wavelike piled up hills. There are no alpine peaks and no rocky canyons. Instead the silver lines of the rivers Veleka, Mladejka and Rezovska glisten amongst thick vegetation. The green color of the forests differs from from that of those inland. It is denser and in reality similar to the forests from the times of the Tertiere.
Stranja National Park
The floristic and faunistic richness of Stranja is enormous. The mixture of pontic, Mediterranean, middle European and Irano-Turanian species and Stranja endemites turn the vegetation of the region into a living conglomerate which has survived the geological changes from the Pleistocene to the present.
For the long-term protection of the natural and cultural phenomenon of Stranja it was proclaimed in 1995 as a national park. It includes the whole catchment areas of the rivers Veleka and Rezovska. Its area is over 116,000 ha. This could be the greatest twin preserved area in Europe.
Climate condition in Strandja
The climate condition in this small mountain are quite specific. In January the temperature is often above zero (about 0.5-2.5 C on the average). The snow cover is thin, rarely over 10 cm, and stays only for a very short time.
But this picture could as well be dramatically different. During the winter the temperature can fall to even -22 C. The winter rains are rarely more than 300mm. During the summer they are 100-1500 mm and are distributed in almost mosaic fashion depending on the vicinity of the sea and the height above sea level, which in Strandja does not exceed 700 m.
Strandja - the "Oak mountain"
the appropriate term to describe Strandja is the "Oak mountain". The oak forests from durmast oak, Hungarian oak, common oak and Turkey oak cover over 90,000 ha. Among the wide oak forest massifs, with their darker-green leaves the forest of oriental beech (Fagus orientalis) can be distinguished. In the sub forest of the beech and oak evergreen bushes are hidden.
The Strandja fauna
Some group of invertebrates are distinguished by relatively great endemism. along the lower stretch of the Strandja rivers about ten species of fish from the national Red Book can be found. Among the reptiles are the Balkan glass-snake, the eastern Montpellier snake, the true tortoises and especially the relict Caspian terrapin for which the rivers Veleka and Rezovska still represent the only secure habitats in the country.
Until recently Strandja was little studied in the ornithological respect, but it has proved to be a nesting region for a number of rare and endangered species. The lesser-spoted eagle has a dense population only here. Here it was discovered that the golden eagles nest on the trees. The only colony of the Montagu's harrier in the country is to be found in Strandja too. The black stork, the Egyptian vulture, the short-toed eagle, the goshawk, the corncrake, the honey buzzard, the stock dove, the eagle owl and the black and the white-backed woodpecker are only a part of the rare and endangered species of birds which can be found here additionally.
The bear and the lynxes disappeared in the beginning of the century, but a few family of wolves still inhabit the border region. The jackal, the fox, the badger, the European polecat, the beech marten and the wild cat are common. Even the otter - a globally endangered species, has a dense population in the Strandja rivers. Rarer seem to be the pine-marten and the marbled polecat. From the wild ungulate mammals the red deer, the fallow-deer, the roe deer and the wild boar are to be seen.
Reserves in Strandja - Uzunbudjak, Silikosia, Tisovitsa, Vitanovo, Sredoka, Veleka and Paroria.
In the biosphere Uzunbudjak (Lopushnitsa) on 2,530 ha typical centenary Strandja forests from oriental beech, durmast oak and Hungarian oak are protected. The reserve was proclaimed in the 1950s and is one of the most valuable refuges of the wildlife in Bulgaria.
The Silikosia reserve (390 ha) is a natural botanical garden. Its territory is cut by shady wet ravines, where the temperature fluctuations are very low and the humidity is very high. In February and March the flowers of the common primrose and the cyclamen can be seen. Often they blossom so early so you can find them near a snow patch. May is the kingdom of the blossoming rhododendrons. At the end of May and the beginning of June blossoms of the medlar which can be found in Europe only in Strandja, the Abraham-Issac-Jacob and the St. John wort with its golden flowers abound.
The richness of Silkosia was noted and evaluated even at the beginning of the century and in 1933 it was proclaimed a reserve becoming the first great Bulgarian preserved area.
Resent years have been highly successful for the protection of the Stranja nature. In the reserves Vitanovo (1,112 ha) and Sredoka (608 ha centenary oak and beech forest and a great variety of plant and animal life) are now protected. The same of the reserve Tisovitsa (750 ha) suggest the presence of yew. Here 170 years old giant beeches higher than 25 m can be seen. The preserved areas Veleka (1,271 ha) and Paroria (990 ha) also protect old forest of south-euxinian type.
