Oltenia de sub munte
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Biodiversity

Habitats

There is a wide variety of habitat types within the geopark. Thus, in the Buila-Vânturarița National Park 17 habitat types have been identified, some of which are priority habitats:

  • Alpine and boreal shrubs;
  • Pinus mugo and Rhododendron myrtifolium thickets (priority habitat);
  • Calciferous rock communities or basifolia meadows of Alysso-Sedion albi (priority habitat);
  • Alpine and subalpine calcareous meadows;
  • Species-rich montane Nardus meadows on siliceous substrates (priority habitat);
  • Monilinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey soils (Monilinion caerulae);
  • Lowland to montane and alpine hygrophilous tall herb communities;
  • Cnidion dubii alluvial meadows;
  • Low altitude meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sangiusorba officinalis);
  • Mountain meadows;
  • Calcareous and calcareous shale scree from mountain to alpine floor (Thlaspietea rotundifolii); Rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation on siliceous rocks;
  • Caves closed to public access;
  • Beech forests of the Luzulo-Fagetum type Beech forests of the Asperulo-Fagetum type;
  • Dacian beech forests (Symphyto-Fagion);
  • Acidophilous forests of Picea abies in the mountain region (Vaccinio-Piceetea).

According to the Romanian Habitats Manual, there are more than 23 types of habitats in the Buila-Vânturarița National Park.

Map realized within the Kogayon Association project "Implementation of the European Ecological Network NATURA 2000 on the territory of the Buila-Vânturarița National Park and realization of the Park Management Plan" financed by the Administration of the Environment Fund and co-financed by RNP Romsilva in 1956 by Alexandru Buia, M. Păun, followed by several botanists who also published partial lists of the plants of this massif.

Flora

Floristic spectrum 

  • the floristic and faunal diversity of the ecosystems within the Buila-Vânturarița National Park is very high, due to a complex of factors, including: the mountainous relief that occupies a significant part of the territory, supporting the maintenance of the natural vegetation, which in these areas could not be replaced by agricultural crops due to the rugged relief of the limestone ridge;
  • the high frequency of surface limestones, marked in the relief by sectors of gorges and small isolated massifs with steep slopes, ravines, fissures, gullies, dry valleys and ravines which are home to a particularly interesting flora;
  • the relatively mild climate, with sub-Mediterranean influences, which has favoured the spread of relatively thermophilic species;
  • the mountainous relief is home to a great diversity of habitat types (ecological entity indicating the living environment of species, both abiotic and biotic).

This complex of factors, combined with the position of the flora and fauna in relation to genetic centres and migration routes, has led to the existence of very different elements: Eurasian, European and Central European, Alpine-Carpathian, Sub-Mediterranean, Carpathian-Balkan and a number of endemic and sub-endemic species. The predominant elements on the Buila's limestones are generally Eurasian (22.6%) which, together with European (13.2%) and Central European (11.2%), comprise half of the total species. They are followed by Circumpolar (9.6℅), Balkan-Dacian (8.3%), Alpine (8.1%), Central Alpine (6.8%), Endemic (6.8%), Continental (4.9%), Mediterranean (4.9%), Ubicvist (3.6%).

The vegetation layering of the Buila-Vânturarița Massif - due to the altitude of up to 1885 m, it presents a vertical layering of the flora according to the altitudinal and climatic steps, with specific characteristics of each layer. Vegetation stages (after Popescu Gh. ,1974):

  • Nemoral (deciduous forest) stage: 1. The beachwood sublayer; 2. Beech and resinous forests sublayer;
  • Boreal (spruce) layer;
  • Subalpine layer - the cliff meadows are dominated by silver fir (Dryas octopetala). Neem kermes oak (Juniperus sabina) is also found.

In the Buila-Vânturarița Massif, the following vegetation grows:

  • endangered species (E) = species in danger of extinction (endangered) whose survival is unlikely if causal factors continue to act or whose populations have been depleted to critical levels (e.g. Leontopodium alpinum - cornerflower);
  • vulnerable species (V) = species considered likely to fall into the first category in the near future if causal factors continue to act; includes species whose populations are declining due to overexploitation and extensive habitat destruction or other environmental disturbances (e.g. Trollius europaeus - mountain bulbul, Dianthus spiculifolius, Daphne mezereum - dwarf tulip, Daphne blagayana - white ivy);

rare species (R) = species with small global populations that are not currently threatened but are at risk due to their restricted range (Viola alpina - rock thrush, Taxus baccata - yew, Lilium jankae - mountain lily, Lilium martagon - wood lily, Centaurea atropurpurea - spruce, Pinus mugo - juniper);

  • non-threatened species (Nt). Another category of species are endemic species: Centaurea pinnafida, Dianthus spiculifolius, Juniperus sabina.

In Buila-Vânturarița National Park there are 28 species of orchids (after Gh. Popescu, 1974): Epipactis helleborine, E. atrorubens, Gymnadenia conopsea, Orchis mascula, Platanthera bifolia, etc. Among the plants mentioned in the "Red List of Superior Plants in Romania" (M. Oltean et al.), in Buila-Vânturarița we find Taxus baccata, Pinus sylvestris, Trollius europaeus, Junipeus sabina, Dianthus spiculifolius, Daphne blagayana, Gentiana lutea.

Fauna

As well as the flora, the fauna boasts great diversity. Many of the species found here are protected by international conventions ratified by Romania (Bern Convention, Bonn Convention, CITES Convention, Habitats and Birds Directives). Among the invertebrates, the Buila-Vânturarița Massif is home to insects (Ephemeroptera - Bactis sp., Rhithrogena sp., Plecoptera - Isoperla sp., Chloroperla sp., Nemoura sp., Trichoptera - Rhycophila sp., beetles - Carabus violaceus, C. intricatus, C. monilis, C. coriaceus, Abax parallelepipedus, Rosalia alpina, Lucanus cervus, lepidoptera - Vanessa io, V. atalanta, Lycaena dispar, molluscs

(Helix pomatia, Cepaea sp.).

The vertebrates are also well represented:

  • Fish - trout (Salmo trutta fario), lipan (Thymallus thymallus), wrasse (Barbus meridionalis), zander (Cottus gobio);
  • Amphibians - salamander (Salamandra salamandra), newt (Triturus alpestris), yellow-bellied pond turtle (Bombina variegata), wood frog (Rana temporaria), brown toad (Bufo bufo).
  • Reptiles - the wren (Lacerta viridis), wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), hazel snake (Coronella austriaca), viper (Vipera berus).
  • Birds - rock butterfly (Tichodroma muraria), red jay (Milvus milvus), serpent (Circaetus gallicus), lesser spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina), evening flicker (Falco vespertinus), blackcap (Caprimulgus europaeus), mountain godwit (Emberiza cia), black stonechat (Oenanthe pleschanka), razorbill (Oenanthe isabellina), mountain woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus), oak woodpecker (Dendrocopus medius), owl (Bubo bubo), woodlark (Motacilla alba), grouse (Tetrao urogallus);
  • Mammals: big horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), little horseshoe bat (R. hipposideros), common bat (Myotis myotis), little common bat (M. blythi), pond bat (M. dasycneme), long-legged bat (M. capaccinii), little bat (M. emarginatus), wiener bat (Barbastella barbastellus), long-winged bat (Miniopterus schreibersi), bear (Ursus arctos), lynx (Lynx lynx), wolf (Canis lupus), black goat (Rupicapra rupicapra), woodcock (Martes martes), rockcock (Martes foina), badger (Meles meles), deer (Cervus elaphus).