Rila National Park under threat because of incomplete draft management plan

About 20% of the draft plan’s information required by the Ministry of Environment and Water is lacking. In particular, information regarding key issues such as sanitary and security water zones, use of water, wood, mushrooms, berries and herbs, violations committed in the park.

All collections of information required by the contracting authority are also lacking in the draft management plan. This includes information about abiotic factors, forests, medicinal plants, biological characteristics, infrastructure objects and socio-economic characteristics. Data about maps and data from the geographic information system, as well as over 50% of the applications are also missing. The most significant lack is that of the zoning map.

“For the Nature in Bulgaria” Coalition believes that the lacking information makes the current public consultation irrelevant and suggests that the contractors provide the missing parts and organize a new public discussion.

“For the Nature in Bulgaria” Coalition and “Transparent mountains” Initiative organized a discussion of the draft management plan for Rila National Park last week in Sofia. These are some of the more serious problems:

- A construction ban in the entire Rila National Park is necessary with the exception of water intakes for drinking water, sewage treatment facilities, buildings and facilities of the National Park Directorate and the Mountain Rescue Service, recreation areas, tent camps, underground communications, repair of existing buildings, roads, sports and other facilities without any change of their designation. There should be complete clarity about what kind of construction will be legally permitted in Rila National Park for the next 10 years. It is alarming that the only non-governmental organization cited in the plan is Rila Regional Development Agency. Among its founders is “Rila Regional Development” Ltd., which operates on the mega project “Destination Rila”. The project requires clearcutting for a new ski area from the village of Govedartsi via Malyovitsa up to the Seven Rila Lakes.

- The number of visitors has to decrease in order to stop the swamping and disappearing of the Seven Rila Lakes. Nature can not cope alone with erosion, pollution of the lakes and driving away of the wild animals because of the high visitor attendance (Up to 3,300 people have visited on a busy summer day, most of them using the illegal lift from “Pionerska” hut to “Rila Lakes” hut).

- No human interference should be allowed in 75% of the forests in Rila National Park, which complies with the national park standards of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The purpose of national parks is not logging. Forest renewal in Rila does not require sanitary tree felling. In the remaining 25% of the forests should only be allowed maintenance and restoration activities necessary for nature conservation.