Boatin Reserve
Boatin is a nature reserve in Central Balkan National Park, located in the Balkan Mountains of central Bulgaria. It spans a territory of 1597 ha or 15.97 km2 and was declared in June 1948 to protect old-growth beech forests. Boatin was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977, and since 2016 the whole national park was added in the programme. It is a strict nature reserve.
Geography
Boatin is the westernmost of the nine reserves of the Central Balkan National Park and is located north of the summit of Tetevenska Baba, spanning several small valleys that form the source of the Cherni Vit, one of the two main stems of the river Vit, an important Bulgarian tributary of the Danube. The reserve is situated at altitudes between 800 m and 1,950 m. The territory is rugged, steep and difficult to traverse. Administratively, it is part of Teteven Municipality, Lovech Province, within the area of the village of Divchovo and some 15 km from the village of Cherni Vit.Flora
Almost the entire area of Boatin is forested, the most important being the well preserved old-growth woods of European beech that cover its lower altitude zones or 82% of its territory. The beech forests are 130 years old in average, with some trees reaching age over 220 years and height over 40–50 m. Other deciduous trees include European hornbeam, Norway maple, Heldreich's maple, common aspen, etc. At higher altitudes there are coniferous forests of Norway spruce and European silver fir, as well as the only compact population of dwarf mountain pine in the Balkan Mountains.The number of vascular plant species is about 600, including rare and endemic plants, such as Carex tricolor, Seseli bulgaricum, Campanula moesiaca, Ostericum palustre, etc.