Colinele Elanului

Colinele Elanului is a site of community importance designated to protect biodiversity and ensure the conservation under favorable conditions of the spontaneous flora, wild fauna and natural habitats of community interest located in this protected area. It is located in Moldova, on the eastern territory of Vaslui County.

The natural area is located in the south-eastern part of Vaslui County, close to the border with Galați County, and extends over the administrative territories of the communes of Berezeni, Găgești and Vutcani. The area is also crossed by the county road DJ244B, which connects the locality of Giurcani and the village of Poșta Elan.

This area received the status of site of community importance by Order no. 2.387 of 29 September 2011, which amended the Order of the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development no. 1.964/2007. The measure was taken to include the site in the European ecological network Natura 2000, and the protected area covers a total area of ​​755 hectares.

The site represents a natural area consisting of marshes, peatlands, cultivated arable land and dry meadows, specific to the steppe bioregion of the Elan Depression, which is part of the Bârlad Plateau, a subunit of the Moldavian Plateau. Two types of habitats are found in this area: Ponto-Sarmatian steppes and Ponto-Sarmatian deciduous scrub.

The territory of the site hosts and preserves various floristic species with a continental-Pontic character, specific to the steppe ecosystems of eastern Romania, especially those of the Moldavian Plateau area.

The main reason for the designation of this area as a site of Community importance is the presence of three plant species, listed in Annex I to Council Directive 92/43/EC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild flora and fauna. These are: the snake's head (Echium russicum), the tartan (Crambe tataria) and the wild iris (Iris aphylla ssp. hungarica).

In addition to these species, other valuable plants have been identified within the perimeter of the protected area, such as the steppe peony (Paeonia tenuifolia), an endemic species of the site — Palimbia rediviva, which belongs to the Apiaceae family, the cornflower (Centaurea marschalliana), a crocus known scientifically as Colchicum fominii, the Sarmatian bellflower (Bellevalia sarmatica), the pubic-flowered cossacks (Astragalus pubiflorus), the talan weed (Adonis volgensis) and the wild pulsatilla (Pulsatilla montana).

Sursa: ro.wikipedia.org