08B3

B. Coastal habitats

Sea-cliff vegetation

Relationships with habitat classifications. EUNIS: B3.3321 Western Pontic herbaceous sea-cliff communities, B3.3322 Western Pontic sea-cliff [Ficus] thickets; PAL. CLASS.: 18.22211 Western Pontic herbaceous sea-cliff communities, 18.22212 Western Pontic sea-cliff [Ficus] thickets; HD 92/43: 1240 Vegetated sea cliffs of the Mediterranean coasts with endemic Limonium spp.

Conservation status. BDA, HD.

Category. Endangered [EN – A1, 2 C3 D2 E2 F1 G1 H3 J L1].

General characteristics. This habitat type comprises open, hasmophytic phytocoenoses developing on the cliffs along the whole Black Sea coast. These coenoses are halophytic and have developed under the influence of the salty drops from the sea. Their halophytic and hygrophytic characteristics are most strongly expressed in the places that are near to the sea. Coenoses of the lichen Lithoicea maura are typical for the surf area itself. Aridisation of the vegetation is observed on the top of the higher rocks where the floristic composition is richer in steppe and wood species depending upon the neighbouring dominant vegetation. Rare and endemic plants as well as widely distributed and ruderal species occur. The floristic composition depends on the bedrock type. Two basic subtypes of this habitat exist. The first one includes the 60-meter high calcareous rocks along the northern Black Sea coast, especially in the area between Tyulenovo village and Kaliakra Cape. Typical for this habitat subtype are Crithmum maritimum, Gypsophila trichotoma, Parapholis incurva,and Silene caliacrae.On top of the rock ridges occur some pontic-steppe petrohytes: Cephalaria uralensis, Alyssum caliacrae, Artemisia lerchiana, A. pedemontana, Kochia prostrata,and Seseli tortuosum.

The second subtype is more typical for the volcanic rocks along the southern coast, mainly southwards from Sozopol and along the Strandzha Mts. coast. Typical species are Atriplex hastata, Convolvulus lineatus, Crithmum maritimum, Limonium gmelinii, Sagina maritima, Silene compacta.Shrubphytocoenoses of the fig (Ficus carica) with Colutea arborescens, Ulmus minor and some others develop in some places, mostly to the South. The phytocoenoses belong to class Crithmo-Staticetea, of which only the association Goniolimoni-Crithmetum maritimi is known for Bulgaria from Maslen Cape. A more detailed study of the coenoses of the seaside cliffs may reveal a higher taxonomic diversity within Crithmo-Staticetea community.

Characteristic taxa.

Conservation importance. Many rare, endemic and protected plants occur on the cliffs by the sea: Convolvulus lineatus, Crithmum maritimum, Ficus carica, Goniolimon collinum, Gypsophila trichotoma, Limonium gmelinii, Parapholis incurva, Sagina maritima, Silene caliacrae.

Threats. Intensive development of the seaside tourism in Bulgaria, construction of hotels (e.g. on St. Agalina and Kolokita capes) and golf playgrounds (Bozhurets village), distruction of the plant communities, pollution of the sand and the rocks along the beach, illegal construction activities on seaside cliffs (Varvara village), natural abrasive activity of the sea and dynamics of the earth and stone slides along the beach.

Conservation measures taken. The habitat is included in Annex №1 of the national Biodiversity Act. Some localities are within protected areas: Kaliakra and Ropotamo Strict Nature Reserves, Belite Skali and Emine Nature Monuments, Strandzha Nature Park, etc. and in sites of the European Ecological Network NATURA 2000 in Bulgaria.

Conservation measures needed. Termination of the construction activities on the still preserved seaside beaches and cliffs, decrease of the tourist impact; monitoring of the habitat.

References. Meshinev et al. 1996; Vicherek 1971.

Authors: Rossen Tzonev, Chavdar Gussev


Sea-cliff vegetation (distribution map)