Design of a register of melliferous plants in Bulgaria based on literature review and field‐validated records

Melliferous vegetation in Bulgaria plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity and providing ecosystem services such as pollination. The diversity of melliferous vegetation is essential for the sustainable development of honeybee Apis mellifera colonies. Here we present the design of a register that has been developed to collect and systematise information on melliferous vegetation in Bulgaria. A database structure has been developed based on 56 indicators characterising melliferous plants, including distribution, flowering period, abiotic environment, landscape structure, and others. We reviewed 153 scientific literature sources (monographs, encyclopaedias, and articles) published between 1896 and 2023, of which 50 were identified as primary because they reported species‐level data on traits, flowering phenology, nectar/pollen resources, and/or distributions. The review covered native and introduced species. Melliferous plants in Bulgaria were found to be represented by 996 species of 88 families, including 89 species protected by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Act. These species form the basis of the designed register, which will be continuously validated and enhanced through field observations and supplemented with information from newly published literature sources. Ecological data on 258 of the species have already been verified in field studies in Vratsa Region, Northwest Bulgaria (312 km 2 ) from 2019 to 2023. The development of targeted conservation efforts for both melliferous plant species and their associated pollinator communities should rely on a detailed overview such information. The data can support the following: Strategically placing apiaries, picking suitable native species for restoring and improving habitats, and making informed decisions in agricultural and conservation planning.