Mountain ecosystems are especially interesting objects for studying
the influence of different natural and antropogenic factors. These ecosystems
have high sensitivity and very slow and difficult recovery, which provides
the real possibility of their precise studies. The complex monitoring of
the mountain environment gives the necessary information for its
control and effective management in view of its sustainable development.
Taking into account the actuality and the importance
of these problems, a French Bulgarian OM2 project for monitoring and management
of mountain ecosystems in the "Rila" National
Park was started in the summer of 1993. Scientists and experts from
15 different scientific institutions (9 from
Bulgaria and 6 from France) took part in this project.
Investigation region of the OM2 Project. The
“Rila” National Park, West Bulgaria, was founded in 1992. It covers
an area of 108 000 hectares and is the second big park in Europe. The forest
zones (up to 2000 m) occupy more than 60%. The average height of the peaks
is about 2700m - the Moussala peak (2925m)
is the highest one at the Balkans.