Assessment of Pressures and Threats on a Protected Area (The Daffodil Meadow in the Neajlov Valley)

Abstract

The Daffodil Meadow in the Neajlov Valley is a small botanical protected area of national interest whose conservation value is linked to the population of Narcissus stellaris and to the ecological functions of the Neajlov meadow. The study assesses the main pressures and threats affecting this protected area, clarifies the methodological steps used for evaluation, and proposes management measures adapted to the conservation objective of the reserve. The analysis combines documentary sources, legal and management references, field observations, and a qualitative pressure-impact matrix. The main pressures identified are uncontrolled visitor access during the flowering period, grazing and trampling, waste accumulation, hydrological changes, agricultural inputs from the surrounding landscape, and insufficient permanent monitoring. The recommended measures include seasonal access control, marked ecological trails, annual population monitoring of Narcissus stellaris, cooperation with local communities and authorities, and clearer reporting of conservation indicators.