Perelik-Rhodope

Mountains

Cyanides

Gold extraction that includes the use of cyanide become increasingly dangerous threat to the Bulgarian nature and, most importantly, to the life and health of the local people. Huge projects for gold extraction using the cyanide method are prepared for variety of Bulgarian regions, including the Eastern Rodope mountains, the Sredna Gora mountain and the Western Bulgarian mountains in the area of Tran. As investors of those projects appear the most notoriously known mine companies world-wide, whose management"s background include criminal activities all around the world.

Eastern Rodopi mountains – illegal investment plans threaten biodiversity

The Eastern Rodopi Mountains are among the most beautiful and untouched places in Bulgaria. With their specific landscape and rocky outcrops this place has become a stronghold of biodiversity.

Many endangered species live and nest here. This is the only place where the three vulture species seen in the country make their nests – the White-headed Vulture, the Black Vulture and the Egyptian Vulture. Moreover, this is the place with the greatest variety of carnivorous birds in Bulgaria

Rila (Kartala)

Rila and the ski resorts (Iskrovete-Maljovitsa)

The beatiful region of Maljovitsa in Rila mountain is privatised by highly illegal practices of "forest swaps" aimed at the construction of a new ski resort in the forested lands of Govedartsi village, Samokov Municipality, instead of forest management improvement practices. Forest swaps are alleged illegal state aid according to Art. 87 of the European Treaty. How can a bulgarian investor build a ski resort by illegal state aid - the case is being investigated by the EC...

Rila and the ski resorts, Panichishte

The magnificient Seven Rila lakes under threat!

The Rila Mountains are home to one of the largest National Parks in Europe. It is a safeguarded place for national and world treasures – undisturbed wilderness, wild animals, and rare plants. People, for centuries, have lived in relative harmony with nature in the foothills of the mountains. That is, until recently.
Now, the area is rapidly changing with the arrival of offshore companies that plan to invest millions of euros in large-scale ski-resorts on the territory of Rila National Park.

On-site investigation started by the EC and EP!

The Rhodopes - ski resort Super Perelik

On 8 June 2007 the Municipal Expert Council of the Municipality of Smolyan authorized the Modification of the General Spatial Plan (GSP) of the “Perelik sports and tourist center” by Decree No.624/08.06.2007 without carrying out any Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and following Article 6 procedures. This is in violation of Articles 3(2) and 4(1) of the SEA Directive (2001/42/EEC) and Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) concerning projects in the “Rodopi-Zapadni” pSCI (BG0001030) and “Trigrad Mursalitsa” SPA (BG0002113) which are on the Buglarian Natura 2000 sites list.

The mountain of Perelik has also been subject to the corrupt practice of the so called "forest swaps". Between 2005 and 2008 the state has "presented" more than 1 000 ha of forests to the investors (the Municipality and a the private company STC Perelik) at a mean price of 1 Euro/m2. This implies violation of the European treaty in the means of "illegal state aid" and tremendous profits on the real estate marker for the investor company.

Vitosha Nature park - Aleko

1. What are the plans for Aleko ski area in Vitosha Nature Park:

According to the report on environmental impact assessment, submitted for
public consultation during the period June 18 - July 2, 2009, the project of Specialized detailed master plan (SDMP) of ski area includes:

• Planed area - 914.65 ha;

• All of the above area is state forests;

• Area of ski slopes - from the current 19 ha - an increase up to 142.5 ha;

• Construction of 8 new ski runs and a total of 18 lifts and drags;

• Construction of new open water stream for the making of artificial snow - 70 000 cubic meters;

Black Sea coast

Irakli

An illustration of the problems around the preservation of the Black Sea sites that are part of the NATURA 2000 network and of civic activity in defense of nature.

See the treath

Kamchiya's Sands

This unique natural site seems to be doomed due to a decision by the Supreme Administrative Court. As a result of this judicial precedent 250 more protected natural territories in the whole country are also at risk.

Kara dere

Kara dere is a virgin beach in the southest part of the Varna"s Black sea-coast. But it"s also endangered by the booming urbanisation.

Strandja

The illegal construction in the Strandzha Natural Park began and ended before the very eyes of all institutions.

The Bojurets Golf Complex or how Bulgaria conserves the protected species and unique plant communities in Kavarna Municipality

The small villages of Bojurets and Topola are located between the towns of Balchik and Kavarna. They are nearly depopulated now but the surrounding nature is unique. On the landsliding terrace above the sea, which not long ago was virgin and incredibly beautiful, diverse rare and endangered animal and plant species had one оf their last refuges on our urbanized and concrete-covered Black Sea coast. On the white limestone slopes full of fossils of the warm disappeared Sarmatian sea one can see steppe plants some of which can be found only in this region of Bulgaria and even in the world. These are the unique aromatic stock (Mathiola Odoratissima), Goniolimon Besseranum, Jurinea Stoechadifolia), Alyssum Caliacrae, Nepeta Parviflora, Ephedra Distachya, Artemisia Lerchiana) and others. On the steep white screes over the sea Rhus Coryaria creates unique communities practically having no analogue in Bulgaria.