REFERENCE PERSON

Svetla Bratanova-Doncheva

WORKING TEAM

Iber-bas

Nesho Chipev, Emilia Varadinova, Ventzislav Karamfilov, Radka Fikova, Lachezar Pehlivanov, Nevena Kamburova

UF-Sofia

Nadia Ignatova, Elena Rafailova

The Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research (IBER) was established on 1 July 2010 after merging of Institute of Zoology, Institute of Botany, and Central Laboratory of General Ecology. Significant national and international researches are carried out in IBER in theoretical and applied aspects of ecology, biodiversity, environmental conservation and sustainable use of biological resources. Now the Institute has high qualified staff and the plan is to train such staff in the area of botany, mycology, zoology, ecology, hydrobiology, conservation biology, environmental genetic, evolutionary biology and other closely related scientific areas, as well as to ensure scientific sound information, needed from decision makers and civil society structures. The scientific stuff of IBER comprises 132 persons.

Priority directions are:

• Structure and functioning of biotic communities, ecosystems and landscapes in the present and in the past.
• Diversity of organisms and their ecological and evolutionary relationships on all levels: from genetic and population to ecosystem level.
• Origin, development history and dynamics of biota and its components: flora, mycota and fauna.
• Scientific basis for conservation of living nature: identifying of threats and developing of methods for their removing or limiting.
• Approaches and methods for sustainable management of protected nature objects.
• Approaches and methods for sustainable management of biological resources, incl. studies on resource importance of species and communities not used before.
• Ecology and biology of species of economical and social importance, incl. approaches and methods for assessment; limiting the impact and regulation of density of invasive species, pests, parasites and other organisms of importance to medicine, nature protection, agriculture, forestry, fishery, hunting, managements of bio-resources and other human activities.
• Scientific basis of ecological risk assessment, the quality of environment and impact on it, elaboration of approaches and methods for biodiversity assessment, bio-monitoring and safety systems.

The Institute has well-equipped laboratories for ecological studies: chemical, phytochemical, genetic, karyological, biotechnological, parasitological, ecological microbiology, light-microscope laboratory, GIS-centre. The Institute has several experimental field stations in Srebarna Biosphere Reserve, Kalimok Reserve, Sozopol Marine Station, Atanasovsko Ezero Reserve, Beglika locality, Parangalitsa Biosphere Reserve, Plana Mountain Station.

In the IBER was established National Centre for LTER which organize the activities in the network. The Centre is the National Coordinator for the Bulgarian LTER Network (www.lter-bulgaria.net - under construction) and hosts the complex terrestrial site “Srebarna”, coastal zone “Sozopol” and freshwater body “Mesta river”  The other sites in the Bulgarian LTER network are  the 2 forest sites “Petrohan” and “Yundola” (UF-Sofia), which are also included in the EnvEurope project. We have a master site “Black sea”, managed by Institute of Oceanology and Antarctica, managed by Institute of Polar research

External assistance

–  University of Forestry-Sofia (Reference person Nadia Ignatova)

It manages 2 LTER sites included in EnvEurope project: “Petrohan” and “Yundola” LTER sites