About the Journal

n 2014, after 10 years of interruption, Book 2 – Botany of the Annual of Sofia
University “St Kliment Ohridski”, comes to life again. The volumes of the Annual
of Sofia University are more than a century old and have been recognized and
acknowledged by audience not only as a pure scientific collection of papers, but
also as a vital historical documentation, which reflects the activities of University
teachers. This, together with the fact, that the Annual is issued just once in a year,
makes it an unique periodical publication, with a totally different fate from other
pure scientific journals. It was a long discussion among the members of the newly
established Editorial Board how to proceed in future, if we decide to continue at
all in the circumstances of the new requirements for scientists and new scientific
style, where the impact peer reviewed journals are appreciated as the most valuable
ones. We stronglIn spite of this, it was our common decision to take the risk of revival of this periodical on the highest possible scientific level, keeping in the same time the best of its traditions. We strongly believe that these efforts are worthy, especially now, when biodiversity is a focal point of all nature conservational activities but
“classical studies, characterizing different categories of biodiversity on all levels, are
no longer appreciated by many younger (and also older) biologists” (MOLLENHAUER
2014). Therefore we accept as our scientific and national duty to keep this special
periodical issue, in which could be published valuable scientific data on local
and regional biodiversity of Bulgaria, based on the solid fundamental knowledge
of classical botany but strongly linked with modern systematics methods and
paradigms. In addition, other papers, orientated towards different aspects of plant
sciences are and will continue to be more than welcome in our specialized volume.
Honoring the best traditions, Book 2–Botany will keep its readers informed about the
research carried-out by the youngest botanists and mycologists – bachelors, master
students and PhD students of the Faculty of Biology of Sofia University, scientific
conferences reports and book reviews. In spite of being created and declared as
departmental periodical, Book 2–Botany of the Annual of Sofia University, as a
peer-reviewed periodical is permanently open for all botanists and mycologists,
who would like to share their knowledge and recent findings.

           Foreword of the Editor-in-Chief to volume 99

                                                                  from year 2014