Swis Nature

Persina Nature Park

Persina – а paradise for waterfowls

The Flora in Persina Nature Park is relatively rich and includes over 100 species of algae, about 20 species of moss and fungi and approximately 500 species of higher plants. Thirty species of them are included in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria, 24 are listed in the Biodiversity Act and 12 species have international conservation status. There are approximately 300 species of medicinal plants. Extremely valuable are the willow communities.Representatives of rare and threatened species are– White Water Lilly /Nymphaea alba/, Yellow Water Lilly /Nuphar lutea/, Waterclover /Marsilea quadrifolia/, Summer Snowflake /Leucojum aestivum/, Yellow Floating-Heart /Nymphoides peltata/, and the Water Chestnut /Trapa natans/.

The Fauna of Persina Nature Park is rich and various, too. Around 1,100 animal species, including more than 770 types of invertebrates can be found here, 67 fish species, 11 amphibians and 17 reptile species.Typical mammals are the Wild Boar, European Polecat and the Roe Deer. In Persina Nature Park you can see the globally threatened European Otter /Lutra Lutra/ which is included in the Bern Convention.

The most tremendous wealth of the Park are birds. There are more than 220 species and almost all of them have conservational status. Belene Islands Complex and the territory of the Protected Area offer important breeding, feeding and resting habitats for waterfowl throughout the year. The complex supports more than 120 bird spices. Forty of them are listed in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria and 62 species are of European conservation concern /SPEC//Birdlife International, 2004/. Five species are listed in SPEC1 as globally threatened, 15 are included in SPEC2 as threatened in Europe, and 42 are included in SPEC3.

Persina Nature Park is a paradise for waterfowl. Persin Island’s marshes are home for many rare and threatened species such as the Ferruginous duck /Aythya nyroca/,Red-necked Grebe /Podiceps grisegena/, Black-necked Grebe /Podiceps nigricollis/,Mute Swan /Cygnus olor/,Whiskered Tern /Chlidonias hybrid/.Here, the nearby are nesting cormorant, egrets and spoonbills.

At low water level of Danube River large sand stripes emerge between the islands. They are the favorite resting place of theDalmatian pelican, Graylag goose, Great cormorant and Gulls. During the winter the region is a gathering place for flocks of thousands of White-fronted geese, among which can be found two globally threatened species – the Red-breasted goose and Lesser white-fronted goose. Persina Nature Park is justly called a Paradise for waterfowls.

One of the symbols of Persina Nature Park is White-tailed Eagle. It is one of Bulgaria’s rarest nesting birds. Only a few pairs are known to exist nationwide. The eagle is highly sensitive to human disturbance and human presence. Thus, for its preservation, the two nature reserves – Kitka and Milka – where human activity is severely restricted have been declared.

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