The investigations of the Bulgarian botanists in the field of mapping of the medicinal and aromatic plant resources have been summarized in this paper.

Accurate mapping of the populations of rare and valuable medicinal plants provides information about their present-day distribution and allows to estimate their resources (Kuzmanov, 1981).

The scientists from Russia, Ukraine, Litva, Latvia etc. provided extensive research of valuable medicinal plants and worked up methodological instructions for mapping of the plants resources (Borissova, 1974; Metodika opredelenija zapasov..., 1986, Satsiperova, Markova, 1987, etc.). Resource characteristics of medicinal plants in some regions of Yugoslavia and Greece were carried out also (Skrubis, 1983; Stamenković, 1987; Mihajlov, 1988).

The mapping of the medicinal plants resources in Bulgaria registers two stages in its development: I - five - six decades of the present century; II - the recent two decades.

The team of Prof. Kirjakov investigated the medicinal plants in Central Balkan and the team of Prof. Ilieva - the plants in Rila mountain (Kirjakov et al., 1949; Ilieva et al., 1953). Extensive investigations of the chronology, statute of the populations and resource characteristics of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Stojanov, Avramova, 1957), Atropa bella-donna L. (Stojanov, Avramova, 1958), Leucojum aestivum L. (Stojanov, 1964) were carried out in this period.

In the last two decades the necessity of big amounts of herbal drugs for pharmacy, phytotherapy and for export is growing sharply. About 200 kinds of herbal drugs (14000-17000 t annually) were collected and produced in our country. 60-70% of these products were designated for export (Mladenova, 2000).

The distribution and resources of the medicinal and aromatic plants are strongly affected by anthropogenic impact - road construction, feeling, melioration, industrial pollution, tourism etc. (Hardalova et al., 1998). The yearly moving causes decrease in reproductive capacity of species which leads to the reduction of populations of such valuable plants as Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng., Atropa bella-donna L., Adonis vernalis L. etc.

The medicinal plants protected by law and species forbidden for economic use focused special attention: Acorus calamus L. (Assenov, Ganchev, 1984); Sideritis scardica L. (Evstatieva et al., 1990); Sideritis syriaca L. (Evstatieva et al., 1995); Glyzyrrhiza glabra L. (Todorov, 1979); Hippophae rhamnoides L. (Vitkova et al., 1993); Leucojum aestivum L. (Stefanov, 1990); Ruta graveolens L. (Vitkova, Kuzmanov, 1987; Vitkova, Russakova, 1994); Valeriana officinalis L. (Evstatieva, 1996).

The distribution and resource characteristics of some species with restricted regime of use were presented also: Origanum heracleoticum L. (Genova et al., 1992); Atropa bella-donna L. (Genova et al., 1996); Hyssopus officinalis L. ssp. aristatus (Godr.) Briq. (Russakova et al., 1999).

In the period 1993-1995 the team of scientists from the Institute of Botany, BAS and Sofia University was carried out a research project titled: Mapping of the re-sources of medicinal plants with restricted regime of use with a view to their rational use. This program included some valuable species as Atropa bella-donna L., Primula verris L., Colchicum autumnale L., Carlina acanthifolia All., Stachys officinalis L., Paeonia peregrina Mill. and was sponsored by the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment.

Another research project with financial support of the National Research Foundation titled "Mapping of the Medicinal Plant Populations in Znepole Floral Region" was carried out by a team of scientists from the Institute of Botany (Genova et al., 1996).

Study of the biodiversity of medicinal plants in Rila and Central Balkan National parks provides us valuable and interesting information. The medicinal plants protected by law, species included in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria and species with restricted regime of use were included in these programs (Vitkova and Evstatieva, 2000; Evstatieva and Vitkova, 2000).

What are the main aims, methods and aspects that confront the Bulgarian botanists, working at the problem of mapping and protection of medicinal and aromatic plant resources?

I.1. To map the populations of protected by law medicinal and aromatic plants, rare and endemic species with an estimation of the anthropogenic impact.

I.2. To map the populations of medicinal and aromatic plants in National parks, protected areas and in interesting floral regions.

I.3. To map the populations of some economically valuable species with an estimation of their biological and exploitations reserves.

I.4. To make prognoses about the productivity of utilizable biomass of rare and valuable species on the basis of the mapping data.

II.1. The mapping of the populations of medicinal and aromatic plants is provided according the "Metodika opredelenija zapasov..." (1986). The resource characteristics are determined on the basis of survey plots method or model samples.

II.2. The data obtained in the course of mapping are plotted on two maps:

UTM-Grid and geographical map of the region on the scale of 1:100 000 (Walters, 1981; Kozuharov, Andreev, 1981; Genova et al., 1996).

II.3. Using of Geographic Information Systems for containig, updating and pre-sentation of information for medicinal and aromatic plants chorology (Genova, 2000).

III.1. Biological aspect

- Determination of coenoarea and phytocoenotic role of the species

- Determination of the size of the population, number of the individuals or project cover of the investigated plant

- Determination of the type of reproduction and reproductive capacity

- Estimation of the biological and exploitation reserves

- Assessment of the anthropogenic impact

- Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the basic active substances

III.2. Economic aspect

- Selection of regions for industrial collection of raw material from species with high economic potential

- Economic estimation of the resources of some valuable plants

- Assessment of the periodicity of collection of raw material and rotation of regions for the species with restrictive regime of use.

III.3. Conservation aspect

- Working out regulations and instructions for rational use of the plants resources.

- Working out proposals to the Ministry of Environment and Waters (MEW) concerning the admissible amounts of raw material from species with restrictive regime of use.

- Recommendations to the MEW and Regional Inspectorates for Environment Protection concerning strict control over valuable species.

- Working out proposals to the MEW concerning new protected zones or changes in the statute of some rare species.

III.4. Educational aspect

- Organization of courses, work shops for amateur biologists and collectors of medicinal and aromatic plants.

- Environmental education of the population with special attention to the education of children and youth - TV, radio programs, publications in the press etc.

Some of these aspects are included into a Medicinal Plants Draft Law, which was adopted by the Parliament (Darzhaven vestnik N 29, 7 april, 2000).

The mapping of medicinal and aromatic plants resources in Bulgaria and neighbor countries may only be effective if the scientists from Southeast European countries combine their efforts in order to preserve the biodiversity of medicinal and aromatic plants for the future generations.

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