DISTRIBUTION ROUTES OF THE INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES I. GLANDULIFERA ROYLE IN THE ISKAR RIVER GORGE BETWEEN PLANA AND LOZENSKA MOUNTAINS (SOUTHWESTERN BULGARIA)

The object of study is the spread of the invasive alien species (IAS) Impatiens glandulifera Royle in a section of the Iskar River and its tributaries near the capital Sofia. The study area is 400 km2 , of which about 0.2% is occupied by the Impatiens glandulifera populations. The investigation was conducted in the period 2019-2022. The beginning of the I. glandulifera’s spread in the studied territory is not through the main stream of the Iskar River, but through one of its tributaries - the Vedena River. At the current stage, this IAS is not distributed in Bulgaria through the commercial network, its populations are distributed naturally. A clearer legislative framework is needed regarding the prohibitions and measures related to the trade in IAS on the territory of the country.