Following floristic studies undertaken over several years throughout Sălaj County, we have identified many regions of exceptional floristic diversity. Here, the habitats are less affected by human activity, revealing an overview of the vegetation that once dominated the county. These sites conserve a number of rare, protected, endemic, steppe relict or otherwise interesting plant species from a scientific and floristic point of view. These areas include forests, marshes, rocky places with limestone or gypsum, and the meadow-steppe characteristic for Transylvania. The establishment of new protected zones to include these areas of vegetation is therefore extremely important to ensure the perpetuation of the rare species, some of which have large populations. Many of these species reach their northern limit in Romania or are reported for the first time in the north-western part of the country. The proposals for protected areas come as a result of a detailed scientific research on the county. These studies will complete the knowledge of the flora of Sălaj County, which is poorly documented, and because of this the region has a very small number of protected areas. |
