Fire safety in Vitosha Nature Park can be ensured without harming nature

Despite this good news, it still is puzzling why the same approach cannot be applied on the other facility, for which the most suitable location is the existing buildings at Cherni Vrah.

RIEW-Sofia does not give up on the construction of a tower of the height of a ten-storey apartment building in the region of Kapaklivets area by the skiing area “Zaeka-Stenata-Spa”. The location of the tower has not been chosen with consideration of a minimal impact on the existing landscape of the Park, but on the contrary – it is a plain site in proximity of the steep swath of Stenata, and can be seen even from Sofia. Obviously, the only consideration has been not to obstruct any future ski slopes in the region.

The result will be one facility sticking out in a wild nature area. Not only will it not be beautiful, but the facility is not sustainable, and its construction costs money, which could be allocated far more efficiently for purchasing fire watching gear, which could be installed on already existing buildings. Thus, a far greater perimeter could be covered, and it won’t be necessary heavy construction machinery to traverse the park, and people to take nature photos with in-transit mixers creeping around the mountain.
“It would be more expedient the fire safety facilities to be installed on the existing tower at Cherni Vrah or on the territory of Lyulin Mountain. With the second option, wider forest areas can be encompassed and observed, even outside the nature park, and the principle that nature parks are not construction areas will be upheld”, WWF forest programme expert Alexander Dunchev commented. “Park’s regimes are that strict by no accident, as their goal, in addition to biodiversity, is also preserving the landscape,” he added.
We appeal to the Regional Inspectorate on Environment and Water-Sofia to review urgently the location of the second fire tower, whose construction has already started. With its higher altituted, Cherni Vrah presents a much better opportunity for fire safety observance, and without spending unnecessarily that much public resources from Operational Programme Environment.