The Fauna

The fauna represents another element that highlights the originality and uniqueness of the
Orheiul Vechi Reserve. The hydro-geological and vegetal diversity of the reserve determined the
development in the respective space of a quite varied fauna, which covers practically all the
ecological niches.
The reservation includes 144 vertebrate fauna species, including a significant number of insects
and mollusks, all of which are concentrated in 7 ecosystems: forests, steppe meadows, meadows,
rocks, rivers, agricultural and rural localities.

• The ecological forest niche is populated by 79 species of vertebrates.
• The rocky ecological niche is populated by 36 species of vertebrates.
• The ecological steppe niche is populated by 12 species of vertebrates.
• The ecological meadow niche is populated by 13 species of vertebrates.
• The ecological agrarian niche is populated by 29 species of vertebrates.
• The aquatic ecological niche is home to 22 species of vertebrates.

The European Red List includes 3 species of the flora of the reserve: Genista tetragona, Lilium martagon (Forest lily), Schivereckia podolica, and 2 species are included in the Convention on the Conservation of Wildlife and natural habitats in Europe (Bern Convention, 1979).Plant species included in the Red Book of the Republic of Moldova (2015):

• endangered species: Aconitum lasiostomum, Cotoneaster melanocarpus, Ornithogalum boucheanum, Sempervivum ruthenicum, Sorbus domestica, Stipa tirsa;
• critically endangered species (CR): Hypericum montanum, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Paronychia cephalotes, Saxifraga tridactylites;
• vulnerable species (VU): Alyssum gmelinii, Dryopteris filix-mas, Fritillaria, Galanthus nivalis, Genista tetragona, Polypodium vulgare, Schivereckia podolica.