Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

1. Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

2. Mission • Conduct research, provide espertise and training, and inform decision makers in the areas of biodiversity, ecology, ecosystems and ecosystem services, biological resources and environmental conservation. • Departments • Plant and Fungal Diversity and Resources • Animal Diversity and Resources • Aquatic Ecosystems • Ecosystem Research, Environmental Risk Assessment and Conservation Biology • About 130 scientific staff is employed currently at the Institute.

3. Priority areas of research • Origin, evolution and dynamics of flora, mycota and fauna • Diversity of organisms and their ecological and evolutionary relations at all levels: from genetic and population to ecosystem level • Structure and functioning of biotic communities, ecosystems and landscapes • Scientific basis for environmental conservation:identification of threats and development of mitigation measures • Sustainable management of biological resources

4. Priority areas of research • Biology and ecology of species of economic and social importance, such as pests and parasites, as well as other organisms of importance to medicine, nature protection, agriculture, forestry, fishery, hunting, management of bio-resources and other human activities • Invasive alien species – distribution, pathways of introduction, biological and ecological traits, impact, early warning, risk assessment and management • Scientific basis of ecological risk assessment, assessment of environmental impact, bio-monitoring and safety systems

5. Programme BG03 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Priority 2: Improving the protection of natural ecosystems from invasive alien species. Open call 1: Network for exchange of information and capacity building on invasive alien species Priority 3: Improved integration of considerations related to biodiversity into sectoral policies and legislation. Open Call 2: Mapping and assessment of the ecosystems status and their services

6. Priority 2: Improving the protection of natural ecosystems from invasive alien species. Open call 1: Network for exchange of information and capacity building on invasive alien species • Our experience in this area/ What we can offer: • The Institute has coordinated several national and international projects on invasive alien species (IAS) • Expertise in the invasive alien species taxonomy, distribution, pathways of introduction, biology and ecology in Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Europe, as well as IAS risk assessment and management

7. Biology, ecology and control of the invasive aliens species in the Bulgarian flora (2009-2012) funded by the National Science Fund Assessment of the alien species for the Bulgarian flora and mycota and measures for mitigation of their impact on the natural ecosystems and native species (2004-2006), funded by the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water

8. Assessment of Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) Infestation Risk Using GIS for Water Basins in the North-West Bulgaria(2005-2006), funded by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s International Research Office Dreissena spp. Native Range and Recent Invasions – Current Knowledge, Potential Approaches and Further Actions(2008-2009), funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research

9. Assessment and Management of Dreissena spp. Invasions in the Bulgarian Water Bodies(2009-2012), funded by the National Science Fund

10. Potential threats to environmental and economic sustainability in the Danube and Black Sea Region: Danube River as invasive alien species corridor (2012-ongoing), supported by the International Association for Danube Research (IAD)

11. The Institute initiated the establishment of the East and South European network on Invasive alien species (ESENIAS) with the support of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and in collaboration with IUCN/ISSG, with the aims: • Exchange and share of information on IAS • Facilitate collaboration between institutions and IAS experts in East and South Europe to prevent the introduction of IAS and to combat their impact • Establish joint research activities on IAS – publications, projects • Harmonise regional IAS policy development • Integrate information on IAS in East and South Europe into European and global IAS initiatives.

12. Project Idea • Develop the network structure of the IAS network in East and South Europe • Establish an information system on IAS in the regionto enable sharing of data and information on IAS related initiatives carried out at the regional level • Develop the structure and organisation of the dataflow to and within the information system • Develop the database and manage data • Develop Early warning system in the region • Extend the network to neighbouring countries, Hungary, Slovenia, as well as to southern European and Black Sea countries • Develop networking and cooperation with other IAS databases and gatewaysat national, regional and European level

13. Potential Project Partners: Regional and national IAS databases - East and South European countries NOBANISand other IAS information systems - Directorate for Nature Management – Norway; Other interested partners from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein East and South European network on Invasive alien species National System for Environmental Monitoring (ExEA) Other national Information systems/ experts (national partners) EASIN (JRC – associated partner?)

14. Priority 3: Improved integration of considerations related to biodiversity into sectoral policies and legislation. Open Call 2: Mapping and assessment of the ecosystems status and their services Our experience in this area/ What we can offer: • Formal member of ILTER net; • Participation in Eu Programs- СОST, H2020, LIFE+ • Participation in the development of concepts Ecosystem integrity and ESS • Participation inEUROMAB –Biosphere reserves, • Natura 2000.

15. ILTER е мрежа, която провежда научни изследвания за разбиране, прогнозиране и управление на въздействието на глобалните промени върху функционирането на екосистемите.

17. Структура на LTER-Europe Глобална мрежа (I)LTER Регионални мрежи LTER-Europe Национални мрежи • Австрия • Финландия • България LTSERплатформа LTSERплатформи Ниво платформи Ниво сайтове

18. LTER-Europe 2009 E discussion started W first concepts network implementation formal ILTER member discussion started W first concepts network implementation formal ILTER member

19. Текущи проекти Дългосрочни екосистемни изследвания в България: организиране на мрежа, събиране и анализ на данни Адаптация на горски екосистеми към глобални промени EnvEurope – LIFE + 2010-2013 Cost Action FP 0903 – 2009-2013 SENSFOR-2012-2016 EUROCOPPICE – 2013-2017 Critical loads - постоянен Странджа – екосистемни услуги -приключен

20. Дългосрочни екосистемни изследвания в България: организиране на мрежа, събиране и анализ на данни, оценка на екосистемен интегритет • Работа по организация на мрежата • Актуализиране и развитие на мрежата – нови сайтове, създаване на LTSER платформи • Събиране и анализ на данни • Разработване на мета база данни • Участие в работата на глобалната и европейската мрежа – дискусии, проекти, специализации за млади учени • Работа по популяризиране на мрежата

21. LIFE + ПРОЕКТ: Environmental quality and pressures assessment across Europe: the LTER network as an integrated and shared system for ecosystem monitoring EnvEurope 2010-2013

22. Sv. Bratanova-Doncheva1, N. Chipev1, R. Fikova1, E. Varadinova1, V. Karamfilov1, E. Rafailova2, N. Ignatova21Central Laboratory of General Ecology, 2 Gagarin Street, Sofia 11132University of Forestry, 10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., Sofia 1756 Environmental quality and pressures assessment across Europe: the EnvEurope Project The EnvEurope project was proposed (November 2008) and approved (November 2009) within the Component “Environmental Policy and Governance” (EPG) of the Programme LIFE + 2008. The project started in January 2010 and will last 4 years, until December 2013. EnvEurope is under the Coordination of Italy. The Coordinating Beneficiary is the Institute of Marine Sciences of the National Research Council (ISMAR-CNR) . The project, which is the most relevant in terms of participants number (11 Countries, 16 European partners) and EC co-financing, among those approved in LIFE+ 2008, fits into one of the main objectives of the component LIFE+ EPG (“Strategic Approach”): strengthening the European process SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System) and the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) initiative, in a context of ecological knowledge transfer from the scientific world to the environmental policies. FINLAND University Of Jyväskylä SWEDEN Swedish University Of Agricultural Sciences LITHUANIA Lithuanian University Of Agriculture GERMANY Senckenberg, Research Institutes and Natural History Museums and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research POLAND European Regional Centre For Ecohydrology U/A Unesco, International Institute Of Polish Academy of Sciences and Instytut Ekologii Terenów Uprzemysłowionych AUSTRIA Federal Environmental Agency SPAIN Spanish National Research Council BULGARIA Central Laboratory of General Ecology ROMANIA University Of Bucharest, Department of Ecology and Forest Research and Management Institute ITALY (COORDINATOR) National Research Council(CNR) and CONECOFOR HUNGARY University Of Debrecen and Hungarian Academy Of Sciences The project EnvEurope was born and will develop inside the European Long-Term Ecosystem Research Network (LTER-Europe) community. The project aims at the integration and coordination at the European level of long-term ecological research and monitoring initiatives, focused on understanding trends and changes of environmental quality, and on the elaboration of relevant detection systems and methods. The main target of the project EnvEurope is the analysis of the ecosystem status and the definition of appropriate environmental quality indicators with an integrated long-term, broad scale, cross-domain (terrestrial, freshwater, costal and marine ecosystems) approach, joining the efforts of 11 countries belonging to the LTER Europe network. EnvEurope proposes the design of environmental quality monitoring and research sites and the establishing of common parameter sets to be collected across the largest network of long-term ecological research sites in Europe. Focussing on three types of ecosystems (terrestrial, freshwater and marine) it aims at defining measures relevant to different scales of investigation, with specific monitoring intensities and with methods adjusted to the respective assessment intensity, implementing a multi-level and multi-functional approach. A further target of the project is the selection of a core list of ecological parameters, indicators and indexes, useful to analyse, compare and report environmental quality in the international context. The EnvEurope project aims to: • Select and provide data, information and ecological indicators concerning the long-term quality trends of terrestrial, marine, freshwater ecosystems at European scale, inside the monitoring network E-LTER (European Long Term Ecosystem Research network) • Select and collect data able to provide information on environmental quality and drivers in respect of indicators and methodologies shared and applied in the main European networks (LTER Europe, EIONET, EU Forest Focus & ICPs of UNECE/CLRTAP/WGE, Natura2000, etc.). • Reorganise the E-LTER network on the basis of suitable sites, reflecting ecological, political and economic stratification of Europe. The reorganisation will contribute to the development of SEIS and GMES initiatives.

24. SENSFOR Enhancing the resilience capacity of SENSitive mountain FORest ecosystems under environmental change (SENSFOR) 2012-2016

25. EUROCOPPICE Innovative management and multifunctional utilization of traditional coppice forests - an answer to future ecological, economic and social challenges in the European forestry sector (EuroCoppice) 2013-2017

26. Assessing the adaptive capacity of representative forest ecosystems to environmental change in the Pirin (Bg), Strandzha (Bg) and Giant Mountains (Cz) 2014-2016 Partner - Global Change Research Centre AS CR, CzAS

27. Перспективи • Оценка на екосистемния интегритет – разработване на система от индикатори • Оценка на еластичността на • екосистемите и екосистемните услуги • Развитие на методология за оценка на Екосистемни услуги • Съвместна работа с Coprnicus– insituвалидиране

28. Potential Project Partners: Regional and national databases National research institutions NINA Directorate for Nature Management – Norway; Other interested partners from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein IBER - ER MOEW National System for Environmental Monitoring (ExEA) ILTER Network Alternet

29. For Contacts: Teodora Trichkova trichkova@gmail.com Dr Svetla Bratanova-Doncheva sbrat@abv.bg