VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF WILD MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS ALONG THE BULGARIAN BLACK SEA COAST USING RAPID GIS-BASED MODEL

Abstract

The Bulgarian Black Sea coast is characterised by a high and specific biodiversity, acting as a critical conservation area for species within both the Balkan Peninsula and Europe. Wild medicinal and aromatic plants represent not only a vital ecological resource but also a significant Bulgarian export. Despite existing regulatory frameworks, the uncontrolled harvesting of non-protected species and species with conservation status exceeding permitted quotas persists. The combination of these practices and anthropogenic pressure, results in cumulative negative impacts on habitats, loss of localities, depletion of communities, and substantial long-term economic consequences. The Bulgarian strategy for the sustainable use of biological resources is based on the rigorous assessment and monitoring of the distribution, abundance, and population dynamics of wild species. Constantly changing market demands for specific quantities and types of medicinal plants, alongside evolving negative anthropogenic factors, require deploying dynamic, GIS-based Rapid Model for Vulnerability Assessment of Medicinal Plants (RMVAMP). The aim of the present study is to conduct a vulnerability assessment of wild medicinal and aromatic plants along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. By incorporating objective criteria and weighted values within a GIS environment, natural localities and habitats along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast were classified according to their degree of vulnerability and are visualised using a colour scale on a specialised map. High-vulnerable areas were identified, where the medicinal plant harvesting requires stricter regulation. The species analysis effectively identifies and categorised species in three groups: resilient, vulnerable, and highly vulnerable. The species identified as most vulnerable to overharvesting include Pancratium maritimum L., Leucojum aestivum L., Orchis morio L., Orchis purpurea Huds., Paeonia peregrina Mill., Platanthera bifolia (L.) L. C. Rich., Ruscus aculeatus L., Ruta graveolens L., and Ephedra distachya L.