In the past, the species was a regular inhabitant of the old spruce forests in our high mountains. Today, unfortunately, it is practically extinct in more than 90% of potential suitable habitat in the Western Rhodope, Rila and Pirin. One of the main reasons for this is the intensification of forestry and scope of sanitary cutting in them. Until recently, the main priority in forest management was the removal of dry and fallen wood. Three-toed woodpecker is eating only insects living on deadwood and disappears after "clearing" the forest from dead trees in sanitary cutting. Currently, unaffected by sanitary cutting are only the forests in national parks and reserves, as well as some industrial forests, to which there are no roads for logging and for that reason alone have not been conducted sanitary cutting in them.
The future of the species looks extremely grim. In protected areas such as National Parks Pirin and Rila, and reserves Beglika and Mantaritsa are only about 40% of the species. Everywhere outside protected areas the logging is intensifying and research in the Western Rhodopes show that some of its habitats are marked at 100% for logging. So in practice within a decade three-toed woodpecker might disappear outside the protected areas in Bulgaria, and its population in protected areas is too small and fragmented and could not survive alone in the long term.
Natura 2000 could play a key role in the preservation of Three-toed woodpecker, since as a rule, in all forests in Natura 2000 should be divided 10% minimum centuries-old forests for conservation. And despite the political decision taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food regarding this, the logging continues and the only thing stopping them is the lack of roads to the forests in closed basins.
In this respect, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation calls for:
- In the fastest possible way to be identified 10 percent centuries-old forests in old age phase to be protected in Natura 2000 without any cutting;
- In the remaining 90% of Natura 2000 to stop the cutting of trees with woodpecker holes, and to allow the forest to have not less than 10% of deadwood;
- To be declared a protected area "Rila buffer" to protect vast habitats of Three-toed woodpecker in Rila;
- Not to be increased logging in the form of sanitary cutting in National Parks Rila and Pirin and Rila Monastery Nature Park.
Three-toed woodpecker is endangered in Bulgaria and Europe
