The Mayor of Sliven opened an illegal procedure for the privatization of the Sinite Kamani Nature Park

The decision of the Municipal Council in question is illegal because:

- violated are Article 10, paragraph 1 of the Law on Protected Areas and Article 7, paragraph 1 of the State Property Act. The specified texts stipulate that the state ownership in protected areas is public and being such cannot be a subject to disposition.

Furthermore, the Municipality Council and the Mayor of Sliven demonstrate that they do not understand the role and significance of protected areas as a whole despite their expressed desire to manage one of these latter.

The protected areas in Bulgaria perform the function of conserving biological diversity not on the local but on the national and European level. It is not by hazard that the Sinite Kamani Nature Park is a part of the Natura 2000 European network of protected areas under the Habitats Directive, as well as under the Birds Directive.

As per Bulgarian Constitution the responsibilities for biodiversity conservation and the management of the national ecological network is an engagement of the state, personified by the executive power and the different owners (incl. the municipal ones) bear only the responsibility for their own property.

The plans of the Sliven Mayor regarding the Sinite Kamani Nature Park are clear – the park is to be transformed into a “populated area” and constructed. No secret are the Mayor’s ambitions to develop a ski resort in the ”Daulite” locality ( where presently there is a small ski run) in the Nature Park which is to service East Bulgaria. The comic thing about it is that the highest point in the Sliven Balkans, Bulgarian Woman Peak is scarcely 1181 meters.

The Sinite Kamani Nature Park

The Sinite Kamani Nature Park is covered predominantly by deciduous forest of Misian beech. Included in the Bulgarian Red Book are nearly 80 plant species and 60 bird species (such as the falcon (Falco subbuteo) and the imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) which can be found in the Sinite Kamani Nature Park), as well as 6 plant species (among which the Urumov tulip (Tulipa Urumoffii), which are designated endangered species of worldwide importance.

“The state should be clear about the fact that this is an attempt at local feudalization which could have dangerous consequences for more than 60% of the protected areas in the country” warns the Let Nature Remain in Bulgaria Coalition. The purposeful actions of another municipality, namely Tsarevo Municipality, in a part of the territory of which is located the Strandja are also oriented to a direction that is adverse to nature protection for the welfare of all Bulgarian citizens.

Tsarevo Municipality at first tried unsuccessfully to delete the park de jure through appeal against the designation order thereof. Now it is trying to erase the nature in Strandja de facto through the envisaged in its new general territorial development plan.

The Let Nature Remain in Bulgaria Coalition already has sent signals to the District Governor of Sliven and the Regional Environment and Water Directorate – Stara Zagora containing a request for the refuting of the scandalous decision. It is imminent that the owner of the state forests in the Sinite Kamani Nature Park, namely the Executive Forest Agency, also expresses their attitude towards this case.

For contacts:
* Yordanka Dineva, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, 089/6798902
* Katerina Rakovska, WWF, 02/9505040

Translation: Prolet Ilieva