Mariyana Nikolova

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor at National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The question of whether the climate of Bulgaria is changing and in what direction is not yet fully understood and this gives rise to various hypotheses and analyzes, which are often a reason for heated discussions between scientists with different expertise. However, there is agreement between the scientists that the increase in the frequency and i...

This study analyses factors that contribute to the degradation of ecosystems in the protected area of the Seven Rila Lakes. These factors are natural, climate change-related, anthropogenic, and associated with excessive tourist pressures on ecosystems in the protected area. Data from in situ meteorological observations coupled with reanalysis data,...

This book comprises six chapters prepared by the COST Action Circular City (https://circular-city.eu/). The Action aims to establish a network of researchers and stakeholders testing the hypothesis that: ‘A circular flow system that implements nature-based solutions (NBS) for managing nutrients and resources within the urban biosphere will lead to...

The aim of this study is to propose a method for accounting of the recreation-related cultural ecosystem services (RRES) provided by protected areas of category National Parks оn the example of Pirin National Park (Pirin NP), Bulgaria in accordance with the System of Environmental Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) framework and t...

Natural heritage (NH) possesses an outstanding universal value that can be described as “natural significance” at a national level. The ecosystems can be considered as the spatial units which represent the NH of the particular area in terms of their value to people. Recreation and tourism are amongst the important values which are strongly dependen...

Studies exploring campus greening in Romania and Bulgaria are limited. Overall, sustainability-related topics and actions are more theory-, rather than practice-oriented in both countries, being particularly addressed by universities dealing with Earth (e.g., geography, ecology) and technical sciences (e.g., environmental engineering). Using litera...

This study reveals the dynamics in the number and intensity of heat waves in Bulgaria in the late 20th and early twenty-first century, as well as their impact on forest fires in the beginning of this century. Statistical methods such as linear regression and Spearman’s correlation were the main tools of this study. Multiple linear regression models...

The karst territories are characterized by landscape aesthetics, and provide knowledge for the natural systems and their specific ecosystem services. They are important part of the natural heritage and geodiversity. The aim of this study is to present karst territories as an element of the national natural heritage and as a source of cultural ecosy...

The article aims to explore natural heritage as a socio-ecological phenomenon. The definitions and cycle of development of the concept of natural heritage is explained. The process of provision and demand of ecosystem services that benefit socio-environmental systems is presented to illustrate how an element of the natural system becomes natural he...

The area of the Seven Rila Lakes is situated in the North-West part of the Rila Mountain at an altitude between 2100 and 2500 m a.s.l. within the borders of Rila National Park. There are 140 glacial lakes in Rila Mountain but the area of the Seven Rila Lakes is the most visited and famous with its natural beauty and sacred significance. It is a val...

Natural heritage (NH) includes natural features that can be described as outstanding universal value at a national level. It refers to the importance of ecosystems, biodiversity, and geodiversity for their existence value, and the ecosystems can be considered as the spatial units for its mapping and assessment. The ecosystem services (ES) concept p...

Natural heritage (NH) is an important element of the natural capital of each country, and as such, represents key assets that deliver various benefits to the citizens. The rich and diverse NH of Bulgaria is a prerequisite for the development of various activities such as recreation and tourism, but these activities have also negative impact on some...

The rich and diverse Natural Heritage of Bulgaria is a prerequisite for the development of nature- based tourism (NBT) of a new type. The research is carried out by the implementation of the ecosystem approach. The results include an assessment of the natural heritage capacity to provide goods and services for the development of NBT in the Tourist...

The study considers forest therapy as a tool for diversification of forest management. An up-to-date integrated approach for assessing and mapping potential of forest areas which could provide conditions for forest therapy services is developed and tested. It is based on combining data from the traditional forest inventory in Bulgaria and other ope...

http://sociobrains.com/bg/top/issues/Issue+66%2C+February+2020/

This article aims to fill the honorary place, which is laid on the founder of the Bulgarian Geographic Science, Acad. Anastas Ishirkov, in this collection of papers, but also to highlight some lesser known details of his research, socio-political and charitable activities. At the same time, the authors removed some inaccuracies in his biography acc...

The article traces the development of geographic research in Bulgarian Academy of Sciences since the creation of the Bulgarian Literary Society until today. The purpose of this study is to show that from the time of historical and political vicissitudes in Bulgaria after the Liberation, the Bulgarian geographic science has always been at the height...

Exhibition "150 години от рождението на Акад. Анастас Иширков"

The urban environment is characterised by many pressures caused by population growth, transport (and its related emissions), and the damage to green areas. Yet, there is a variety of ecosystem services available in urban areas, which may be deployed to ameliorate the current problems and foster their sustainability. This paper reviews the role of e...

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems. They are a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to address societal challenges and some natural hazards effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. NBS applications can be easily noticed in circular cit...

Starting with an overview of the first Bulgarian geographical studies and publications, the paper presents the development of the process of collection and interpretation of geographical knowledge for Bulgaria from different Bulgarian sources for centuries in the past to nowadays. As a classical discipline, geography goes through the time adding ne...

Geography of the twenty-first century is expected to contribute to the development of human capital and the knowledge society, to offer place-specific solutions for sustainable regional development and use of the planet’s natural and human capital. With this idea, we prepared this book which presents selected contributions from the International Co...

This book focuses on new and innovative spatial approaches based on smart solutions and developed in the field of geography and related interdisciplinary fields such as urban and regional studies, landscape ecology and ecosystem services. It includes contributions from a conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Bulgarian Geographical So...

In this paper we assess the irrigation water use in the Danube Basin, highlight its complexity, identify future challenges and show the relevance for a basin-wide integrative irrigation management plan as part of a more holistic and coherent resource policy. In this sense, we base our integrative regional assessments of the water-food-energy nexus...

The mapping of ecosystem services is essential for understanding how ecosystems contribute to human wellbeing. The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 requires the member states to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services. Urban landscapes provide various services and their mapping necessitates prioritization, integration of data and...

The European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 Coordination and Support Action ESMERALDA aimed at developing guidance and a flexible methodology for Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) to support the EU member states in the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy’s Target 2 Action 5. ESMERALDA’s key tasks included network cr...

The focus of this report is to present a broad framework for ecosystem services assessment and to test it. The framework aims to illustrate the integrated assessment cycle for practitioners. The framework also places within the other assessment activities, such as scenarios and assessing policies.

The aim of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 isto maintain and enhance ecosystem services (ES) in Europe and requires all Member States to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in the respective national territories. The EU-funded project ESMERALDA analyses ES mapping and assessment methods and approaches in their biophysical...

According to the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) the class “Aesthetic ecosystem services” belongs to the section “Cultural ecosystem services”. The assessment of aesthetic ecosystem services is characterized very often by a significant level of uncertainty caused by the specificity of the individual’s perception an...

Urban landscapes are the environment where most of the population live and perform their usual everyday activities. The continuous urban sprawl and the increasing demand on resources and energy provoke serious discussion on ensuring better human well-being in the settlements while preventing increasing loss of biodiversity. However, urban landscape...

The study makes a critical analysis of the legislative initiatives and policies for the development of mountain areas in Bulgaria to date and are subject to discussion new approaches and policies related to the implementation of the Innovation strategy for smart specialization of Bulgaria (2014-2020), which have the potential to stimulate economic...

Extreme weather events and the resulting hydro-climatic disasters have increased in frequency and intensity in recent decades, confirming trends outlined in the Fourth and Fifth IPCC reports on the increased susceptibility of Southeast Europe to drought, extreme temperatures, heat waves, and floods. Currently, climate change in the region is most a...

The geomorphologic studies of Jovan Cvijc in Bulgaria are crucial for many Earth scientists from the beginning of 20 th century. Cvijc laid the foundations of the morphotectonic division of the Balkan Peninsula, helps to clarify a number of tectonic and glacial processes and irrefutable proof that there were traces of the Wurm glaciation in Rila Mo...

The main goal of this research is to analyze the regulatory framework and related geographic problems of regional development policies that concern Bulgarian mountains in the post-socialist period. Based on the need to establish and implement a state policy for integrated sustainable governance of mountain regions in this country, the investigation...

European policy concerning mountain regions aims at achieving sustainability by using cohesion and integration policies, as well as multi-sectoral and regional approaches. Under conditions of global change, the role of scientific research in the implementation of these policies acquires additional importance. Scientific understanding of the theoret...

Central to this edited volume is the proposition that the mountainous border region of Southeastern Europe needs to become a special target of European Union scale, regional development policy-making. Vivid case studies from eleven Central and Southeast European states present diverse perspectives on this region’s physical geography, economy and de...

17 Декември 2014 г.

The paper analyzes possible consequences from climate change for the Seven Rila lakes in Bulgaria in the time horizon until the end of the 21st century. Data from IPCC AR5, KMNI Climate Change Atlas web application for statistical downscaling and field observations on water and air temperature, water level changes and dynamics of catchment’s enviro...

The paper is published on p.488 in the Proceedings of papers: http://cartography-gis.com/docsbca/5ICCandGIS_Proceedings.pdf

An important part of the natural hazard’s risk management is the vulnerability assessment. The study for municipality of Lom is carried out on the base of a framework for vulnerability assessment which includes the following elements: hazard probability, exposure, sensitivity and coping capacity. In this paper we use the spatial dimensions of the a...

Climate change in Europe is often manifested in the increasing frequency of extreme weather phenomena like storms, intensive rains, and floods. For the period 2000–2009, the highest number of severe floods in Southeastern Europe was registered in Romania (30), Greece (14), and Bulgaria (11). The EM-DAT database (CRED 2012) includes 13 major floods...

Thecnical guide. Cross Border Cooperation Programme Romania-Bulgaria

The objective of the present book is to acquaint the reader with the process of analysis and assessment of risk, mapping and implementation of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial modeling for the purposes of the integrated management of flood risk. Special attention is devoted to the influence of geographic factors of environment on th...

The research goal of this paper is to assess from a geospatial perspective the risk from natural hazards for the archaeological sites along Bulgarian Danube bank. On the basis of the contemporary geo-informational technologies and the related spatial-analytical methods are investigated and analyzed the main types of geo-hazards which threaten some...

A case study on the Yantra River Basin dynamics under recent climate fluctuations and economic changes is carried out to demonstrate the important role of some geographical factors for successful flood hazard assessment and risk management practices. The number of the extreme rainfalls and related flood events during the last decade grew in the riv...

Metal dispersal in the Danube and Maritsa drainage basins resulting from metal mining activities in Bulgaria has been assessed through the collection of 611 samples of river water, river channel and floodplain sediment, and mine waste from over 218 sites. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in river water were found to be highest in close proximit...

Bulgaria occupies a unique position in south-east Europe in terms of river basin management and control because contamination from metal extraction and processing industries not only has a potential significant trans-border impact but also affects both the Mediterranean and Black Seas. However, to date, no whole basin source to sink study of metal...

Lead isotope signatures (207Pb/206Pb, 208Pb/206Pb, 208Pb/204Pb, 206Pb/204Pb), determined by magnetic sector ICP-MS in river channel sediment, metal ores and mine waste, have been used as geochemical tracers to quantify the delivery and dispersal of sediment-associated metals in the lower Danube River catchment. Due to a diverse geology and range of...

Metal dispersal in the Danube and Maritsa drainage basins resulting from metal mining activities in Bulgaria has been assessed through the collection of 611 samples of river water, river channel and floodplain sediment, and mine waste from over 218 sites. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in river water were found to be highest in close proximit...

In this study Pb isotope signatures were used to identify the provenance of contaminant metals and establish patterns of downstream sediment dispersal within the River Maritsa catchment, which is impacted by the mining of polymetallic ores. A two-fold modelling approach was undertaken to quantify sediment-associated metal delivery to the Maritsa ca...

The changes in Srebarna Lake ecosystem, which occurred in the last thirty years, are analyzed in this study considering both anthropogenic and natural stressors. Comparative analyses were performed with GIS and remote sensing data in order to assess the lake evolution after its designation as a protected area, and following global changes that have...

The content of Pb, Cd, As, Cu, Zn in the river water (206 samples), the river bottom sediments (204 samples) and in the floodplain (180 samples) of the major river systems in the country have been surveyed in August 2004 in Northern Bulgaria, and in June 2005 in Southern Bulgaria. The maximum acceptable values for the III category surface waters an...

This article presents main results from the implementation of the KINEROS model to the Malki Iskar river basin above the town of Etropole. KINEROS is a mathematical model based on fundamental physical laws aimed at simulating the spatial distribution of water balance elements for a given meteoro-logical event. A detailed study of the set of physica...

This article presents main results from the implementation of the KINEROS model to the Malki Iskar river basin above the town of Etropole. KINEROS is a mathematical model based on fundamental physical laws aimed at simulating the spatial distribution of water balance elements for a given meteorological event. A detailed study of the set of physical...

Investigation on the copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zink (Zn) and arsenic (As) concentrations in the Malki Iskar River bottom and floodplain sediments was conducted in 2004 at lower water stage and in 2005 at high flood levels. Higher heavy metal contents in the river sediments and intensive contaminant dispersal along the main river were ob...

Landscape characteristics exert their impact on the processes occurring in river basins in many directions and may influence in a different way the environmental security and some related constraints like extreme natural events. The complex nature of landscape structure and dynamics requires that the systematically oriented, methodological approach...

ABSTRACT The objective of the present work is to analyze the role of landscape for environmental security in the Yantra River Basin, exploring its relationships with river-water quality and flood hazard. The relationship between landscape and river-water quality is analyzed on the basis of landscape indicators and assessment tools like Automated Ge...

Protected Areas

Understanding the spatial structure of the areas with preserved nature is important for the support of their habitat function, which provides ecosystem values the maintenance of biological and genetic diversity. This study uses satellite image interpretation and GIS analysis tools to determine the main land cover classes, to evaluate their conserva...

During the last years Bulgaria suffered numerous devastating floods causing great damages in economy and infrastructure. Yantra was one of the rivers with highest floods during this time. The paper represents results from an investigation that explores relationship between landscapes in the basin and the river water quality and quantity as well as...

Since the Second World War till the end of the 20th century because of the well -known (now historical) circumstances, geographical institutions on the Balkans had very weak collaboration. Together with new economical, political and other tendencies in the field of science comes to concrete forms of collaboration. A contract on the realization of t...

Mean Januaray Air Temperature

Due to their low resolution planetary models for predicting climate change with a twice increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are not suitable for predicting changes in small mountain areas such as the Balkan Peninsula. What is the situation on the Balkan Peninsula and in particular what is the trend in Bulgaria? Unfortunately, so far there...

In this book chapter we document first the struggles over institutional reform and then the environmental consequences of transformation in terms of these two distinct periods of Bulgarian reform history. The first ‘rectifying’ phase can be dated from November 1989 to November 1996 and involves mostly big ideas, wishful thinking and certain pieces...