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Nos Nouvelles
Climate Witness: Maya Radeva, Bulgaria
Maya Radeva is the director of Balgarka Nature Park, in Gabrovo, Bulgaria and over the past 15 years she has witnessed an episodic increase in temperature in the region that has been affecting forests. In 2007 the high temperatures made it difficult for the trees to fill their seeds.
Imagine the wood in July – instead of being green and fresh, it was like a frostbitten wood in November. The leaves were brown, dry and falling from the trees. The grass, which has always been green at this time, was dry and brittle under our feet. The forest was simply crying.
For the last 15 years there has been an episodic increase of temperatures, but the summer of 2007 was simply unique. The leaves were dry and started falling as early as the end of June and beginning of July. In the beech forests there were lots of empty acorns. Apparently the high temperatures did not help the trees to fill the seeds.
Water level in river extremely low
The source of Yantra River, which we had never seen with so low water level, now completely dried out. There was no water coming from the source itself, it flowed out further down and had very weak discharge.
Mediterranean plants at high altitudes in Bulgaria
Last year our colleague - a biodiversity expert – discovered a species of wild onion at a height of 1,300 m in the Uzana area. A study showed that the habitats of the plant are in Greece and Southern Italy. If Mediterranean plants that love a warm climate come to 1,300 m above sea level that is an indicator of climate warming and of changes expected to take place in nature.
Scientific review
Reviewed by: Prof. Piotr Tryjanowski, Adam Mickiewicz University, PolandMaya’s Climate Witness story is mostly consistent with current peer reviewed literature however we should be very cautious when comparing only two time periods. Other factors, like habitat changes, may also have an influence over the same time period.
Rosenzweig C., Karoly D., Vicarelli M., Neofotis P., Wu Q., Casassa G., Menzel A., Root T.L., Estrella N., Seguin B., Tryjanowski P. , Liu C., Rawlins S., Imeson A. (2008) Attributing physical and biological impacts to anthropogenic climate change. Nature 453: 353-358.
All articles are subject to scientific review by a member of the Climate Witness Science Advisory Panel.