Ecological and structural characteristics of monodominant montane beech forests in the National park Biogradska Gora, Montenegro

Due to their extraordinary diversity and high level of conservation, the forest ecosystems of Biogradska Gora undoubtedly fall under the most significant forest objects. Owing to the lack of anthropogenic impacts, it is an especially interesting and gratifying research subject for different experts and scientists. In order to implement a sufficiently high biodiversity level management, it is necessary to know the structural characteristics of untouched forests. In this paper we focused our attention on monodominant montane beech forests with their ecological and structural characteristics, as a bioecological basis for environmentally friendly planning and sustainable management of these and similar forest ecosystems

Ethnobotanical study on traditional uses of wild medicinal plants in Prokletije Mountains (Montenegro)

Aim of the study: The main objectives were to collect information on the use of wild growing medicinal plants by local people living in high mountain region of Montenegro and conduct local botanical and ecological surveys. Active ingredients of plant species officinal in European Pharmacopoeia 6.0 (Ph. Eur. 6.0) were studied and we assessed possibilities for commercial exploitation for local economic development. Materials and methods: The 75 people that were interviewed (40-82 years old) identified 94 species for treatment of various human ailments. For each named species, the following elements are provided: botanical name, family, part(s) used, medicinal use and perceived property, listing in published pharmacopoeias, the relative abundance of each species and locality where the plant was collected. Chemical analyses were done according to prescriptions of Ph. Eur. 6.0 in order to estimate potential commercial use of native plants. Results and conclusion: The most common in traditional usage were Rosaceae (11 species) making 11.7%, Asteraceae (10 species) 10.6% and Lamiaceae (7 species) 7.4%. From 94 species reported, 35 (37.2%) are officinal in Ph. Eur. 6.0 and 12 in national pharmacopoeias (12.8%). Aerial parts were mostly used (43.6%). The most frequently reported medicinal uses were for treating gastrointestinal (57.4%) and respiratory diseases (41.5%). (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved