Download Parks, Reserves, and Protected Areas in Bulgaria

Vocational High School of Veterinary Medicine
“Prof. d-r George Pavlov”, Dobrich, Bulgaria
Parks, Reserves,
Protected Areas & Fauna in Bulgaria
The number of protected areas in Bulgaria is 858 with a total surface of 544 394,9
ha. The degree of protection of these areas is variable and can be classified
following the IUCN categories: 55 Strict Reserves: strictly protected, all kinds of
human activities are prohibited; 3 National Parks: strictly protected, some
activities permitted; 346 Natural Monuments: conservation of natural formations,
human activities allowed; 35 Managed Reserves: human activities are permitted
but only for conservation purposes; 10 Natural Parks: sustainable development;
402 Protected Sites: conservation of habitats and sustainable use of the natural
resources
Bulgaria has 3 national parks: the "Pirin"
National Park, the "Rila" National Park and the
"Central Balkan" National Park. These national
parks have been defined as “areas without any
populated areas and settlement formations within
their boundaries that include natural ecosystems
with a large diversity of plant and animal species
and habitats, with typical and remarkable scenery
and abiotic objects of nature.”
Parks, Reserves, Protected Areas
& Fauna in Bulgaria
 Protected Areas in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian National Parks are managed in accordance with the Protected
Areas Act (1998). The Act specifies that National Parks are managed with the
following goals:
 conserve biodiversity and protect wildlife;
 develop educational and scientific activities;
 promote rest and recreation, and
 increase local community welfare without harming the natural habitat.
 Bulgaria has three National Parks - Pirin, Rila and Central Balkan. They have
a total area of 193,049 hectares and comprise more than one-third of all
protected areas in Bulgaria. The National Parks belong to the state. They are
public property. They are managed and administered by Directorates, operating
under the Ministry of Environment and Waters. The Executive Agency for
Environment is responsible for providing methodical guidance to the National
Park Directorates for ecological monitoring and on matters of environmental
quality.
Parks, Reserves, Protected Areas
& Fauna in Bulgaria
 Protected Areas Categories
Parks are refuges for many rare plants and animals of national and global
significance. In Bulgarian national parks, unique samples of natural habitats
and elements of ecosystems are preserved within reserves. Central Balkan
National Park includes nine Reserves - Boatin, Tsarichina, Kozya Stena,
Steneto, Severen Djendem, Peeshti Skali, Sokolna, Djendema and Stara Reka.
Pirin National Park includes two Reserves, Yulen and Bayuvi dupki-Jinjerica.
Rila National Park includes four Reserves: Parangalitsa, Central Rila Reserve,
Ibar, and Skakavitsa.
 The national protected areas system has six management categories:
 National Parks (3)
Nature Parks (10)
Reserves (55)
 Maintained Reserves (35)
Natural Landmarks (457)
 Protected Localities (175).
Bulgarian Nature Fauna
Bulgaria has about 100 species of
mammals. These include large carnivores
such as brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf
(Canis lupus) and golden jackal (Canis
aureus), as well as European wildcat
(Felis silvestris), European otter (Lutra
lutra), marbled polecat (Vormela
peregusna peregusna) and the Balkan
chamois
(Rupicapra
rupicapra
balcanica).
Bulgarian Nature Fauna
Particularly impressive is the
number of bats found within
Bulgaria. Some 32 of the 39
species of bats known in Europe
have been discovered in Bulgaria,
making Bulgaria one of the richest
countries in Europe in terms of the
number of species of bats.
However, the rarest and most
endangered of all Bulgarian
mammals is the Mediterranean
monk seal (Monachus monachus)
which once bred along the
Bulgarian Black Sea coast but is
now extinct as a breeding species
and sadly today almost never
sighted.
Bulgarian Birds
 Bulgaria has long been renowned by ornithologists and birdwatchers for its
exceptional variety of birds. Indeed over 400 species of birds have been recorded
in Bulgaria. The richness of Bulgaria’s birdlife is greatly influenced by its
geographic location. Bulgaria occupies a central location in the Western
Palearctic region, and stands at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and the
Mediterranean. Indeed Bulgaria lies along two major bird migration routes.
the Via Pontica and Via Aristotelis. The Via Pontica runs along Bulgaria’s
Black Sea coastline whilst the Via Aristotelis includes the Sofia Plain and follows
the course of the Struma Valley and Kresna Gorge through the mountains of southwestern Bulgaria.
Bulgaria’s great variety of habitats, not only offer important refuelling and resting
places for migrating and over-wintering birds, but they are also valuable breeding
sites for numerous species of resident and summer visiting birds. Amongst
Bulgaria’s most important regions for birds are: the Eastern Rodopi (Rhodope)
Mountains which are renowned for their vultures and birds of prey, the Burgas
(Bourgas) wetlands, the riparian forests along the valleys of coastal rivers such as
the Veleka, Ropotamo, Kamchiya (Kamchia) and Batova, and lake Sreburna and
the flood forests of certain Danubian islands.
Bulgarian Herpetofauna
Because of its mild climate, varied habitats and geographical location, Bulgaria
has an abundant and very varied herpetofauna comprising 17 species of amphibians
and 36 species of reptiles.
The Bulgarian herpetofauna is interesting, as the geographical location of
Bulgaria means that it marks either the southern or northern boundary of
distribution for many species of amphibians and reptiles. Within Bulgaria are
found Bulgarian endemic subspecies of the fire salamander (Salamandra
salamandra beschkovi) and Kotschy's gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi rumelicus).
Bulgarian Fish
Currently 217 species of fish have been recorded on Bulgarian territory,
of which 194 species of fish are native to Bulgaria and 23 species of
fish have been introduced. A total of 134 species of fish have been
recorded in the Bulgarian part of the Black Sea, whilst more than 140
species of fish are known from inland waters such as rivers, wetlands,
natural lakes and man-made reservoirs.
The freshwater fish of Bulgaria belong to three distinct watersheds, the
Danube watershed, the Black Sea watershed and the Aegean watershed.
The ichthyofauna of the Danube is very rich. In their upper courses, its
tributaries run through mountainous regions, while their middle and
lower courses flow through the Danubian plain. This means that they
offer a range of ecological conditions which, in conjunction with their
direct connection to the Danube, accounts for the great variety of fish
which are found within them. By contrast, only the upper and middle
courses of Aegean watershed rivers are found within Bulgarian territory,
so their variety of fish is more limited. However, the Aegean watershed is
renowned for its many endemic forms, which are characteristic for the
Balkan Peninsula. The ichthyofauna of the Black Sea watershed is also
rich in terms of number of species. It comprises two groups, fish which are
permanently resident in the rivers and fish which temporarily penetrated
into them from the Black Sea or coastal lakes.
Bulgarian Invertebrates
So far some 27,000 species of invertebrate have been discovered in Bulgaria, of
which over 20,000 species are insects. Currently, Bulgaria is known to have some
68 species of dragonflies and 214 species of butterflies, making it one of the richest
countries in Europe for both of these groups.
 Bulgaria also has a great variety
of other invertebrates including
at least 4 species of scorpions,
975 species of spiders and 445
species of molluscs, of which 111
are marine molluscs, 96 are
freshwater molluscs and 238 are
terrestrial molluscs. With over
20% of its territory made up of
karst terrain, Bulgaria has over
5000 caves and potholes. So far,
within their depths, more than
800 animal species had been
recorded, including 167 troglobite
and stygobite species, of which
the majority are Bulgarian
endemics.
‘This project has been funded with support from the
European Commission.
 This publication reflects the views only of the
author, and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.’