Post on 02-Feb-2017
Progress in Natura 2000
in Bulgaria,
2012
Responsible institutions
• Ministry of Environment and Waters and its regional
branches – Regional Inspectorates for Environment and
Waters are responsible for declaration on Natura 2000 in
Bulgaria and for the assessments of plans and activities
which can affect it.
• There is a National Nature Protected Service at MoEW
and there is Department “Natura 2000” at NNPS
• There are Natura 2000 experts on RIEW level who are
responsible mainly for AA
• There is no management bodies on site level
Bulgarian legislation
• The requirements of the Habitat and Bird
Directives are transposed in the Bulgarian
Biodiversity Act
• There is a Ordinance for the conditions
and the order for appropriate assessments
of plans, programs and investment
proposals in Natura 2000 sites
Process of designation
• MoEW entrusted the process of
identification on sites to a few NGOs
• The initial list was prepared by NGOs
• There was no state support for public
awareness
• MoEW was too late with the whole
process and there was no time and
capacity to modify the final proposal
Process of designation – first
victory • Final proposal by the scientifical teams - SPA - 23,6 %
and pSCI 28,6%.
• First official list of sites proposed to EU – SPA -11,3%,
pSCI 13,4%
First list of proposed sites
First list of sites adopted by CM
Process of designation – first
victory – December 2007 • After request from EU and pressure from
citizen society, the state submitted to EU
114 SPA, which cover 20,3% from
Bulgaria and 228 pSCI which cover 29,5%
from Bulgaria.
• Total 332 (or 342 because 10 of them fully
overlapping ) Natura 2000 sites covering
33,89 % from Bulgaria.
Natura 2000, December 2007
Process of designation -
continuation • The government rejected some SPAs and reduced
between 60 and 90% the surfaces of other SPAs
(BG0002055 Rila, BG0002056 Pirin, BG0002011 Central
Balkan, BG0002051 Kaliakra, BG0002025 Lomovete
and BG0002063 Western Rhodopes) . BirdLife Bulgaria
sent complaints against this and EU started an
infringement procedure.
• The Biogeographical seminars concluded that the
network is not complete for a few species and there is a
need of additional sites.
• A working group on marine sites was established at
MoEW
2011 Round • Declaration of 4 new SPAs
• Enlargement of the borders of 2 SPAs
Total number of 118 SPAs covering 22,6% of
Bulgaria
• Declaration of 3 pSCI
Total number of 231 SCI covering almost 30% of
Bulgaria
Total coverage of SPA ad SCI – 34,3% of
Bulgaria
Continuation follows
• It is clear that Bulgaria has to propose a
few additional pSCI (the most important is
Rila buffer) and to enlarge some SPA
(near Kaliakra)
• There a few proposals to declare a few
SCIs as SPAs
Process of designation
• Orders for declaring of 114 SPA published till
02.10.2012.
• No publication of the orders for SAC.
• According to the Bulgarian Biodiversity Act the orders
for SAC has to be declared in 4 years after their
approval – it means 13.02.2013 for the first 224 SCI.
• According to the BA the orders for the last four SPAs
has to be declared in one year after their declaration
by CoM – it means 31 May 2012 ???!!!!
The orders
• They consist – name of the site, the bird
species, the goals of its declaration –
conservation of habitats of these species,
the list of the cadastral items which are
included in the site, the surface of the stie,
the regimes of the site.
• Diferences between the borders and the
surfaces of the submitted to EU and
declared SPAs
34,3% of Bulgaria is still a Big
Paper Park • The regimes of the SPAs are highly inadequate
and not connected with the main treats
• There is no management bodies or somebody
responsible for the management of the sites
• There is regulation for preparation of
management plans for Natura 2000 sites, but
there is no political will to do them
• The total procedure of EIA and AA is false
The big imitations
• The procedures of EIA and AA are not
relevant because:
- The investor pay the experts;
- High level of corruption of the politicians;
- High level of corruption of the justice;
Some progress
• Guidelines for management of the forest
habitats prepared and partially
implemented;
• FCS guidelines prepared but not officially
enforced;
• A few project on capacity building of the
state authorities for implementation of
Natura 2000;
• Big project on habitat mapping
Some progress
• AA are uploaded to the web sites of the
Regional Inspectorates for Environment
and Waters;
• Flooded with money for nature
conservation which is not possible to use
because of bureaucratic obstacles;
• National information strategy for Natura
2000 under preparation;
Some progress
• The river basin management plans do not
allow new reservoirs in Natura 2000 sites;
• The ecological assessment of the
Bulgarian renewable energy plan do not
allow building of new wind mills in SPAs
• 6 Management plans for SPAs in process
of preparation – till the end of 2013
The future • NGOs are tired from long-term fights with the
Government!
• We are expecting the new Biogegraphical seminar in
Sofia in October and declaration of a few new pSCI
and enlargement of SPAs
• We expect that EC will react more hard on the present
situation and our past complaints
• We will continue to lobby for effective management of
Natura 2000 on national level
• The situation is improving but the progress is very
slow and we continue to loose biodiversity.
Thank you for your attention
Stefan Avramov
Protected Areas and Species Conservation Coordinator
Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation
email: stefan.avramov@biodiversity.bg sga@escom.bg
skype name: stefanavramov
www.bbf.biodiversity.bg
mobile: ++359 897 865818, ++359 886 605410