Who clears Bulgarian forests, in order to buy elections?

The case exposes a large-scale scheme for illegal clearing of Bulgarian forests, through which elections are bought. The management of state forests is assigned to selected cadres, who are to guarantee unproblematic plundering of forest resources by close to authorities firms, with the purpose of financing political projects. The protection of “our firms” is achieved through repressive and punitive measures, meant to sow fear amongst forest employees, and they are directly forced to turn a blind eye to the transgressions.

The disobedient ones are directly dismissed or moved out of the way, as is the example with the directors of the nature parks Vitosha, Bulgarka, Sinite kamani, Strandzha and tens of other directors and foresters in the forestries and inspectorates. The absence of control over “our firms” by the forest inspectorates and the forests agency is also guaranteed, since these institutions are under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

According to environmentalists, the dismissal of the forestry director Eng. Bahtiar Sofu does not change anything, because “our firm” in question has a long-term contract with the State Forestry enterprise and most likely will continue to log illegally the forests above Velingrad under the protection of the next chosen without a competition but “recommended” director. Here is why the Ministry of Agriculture and Food should bear the responsibility with regards to the following issues, concerning the scandal at the hunting estate Chepino.

1. Why after an inspection following a signal from the foresters from Chepino hunting estate, officials from the Ministry, the Executive Forests Agency, and from the Southwestern state enterprise have covered the violations by the timber company in the Karkamska polyana area? Why did no action follow the signals from the foresters? Why was the director of the forestry allowed to dismiss and punish foresters who discovered the violations?

2. Why senior officials from forestry institutions allow the responsibility for the violations to be passed from the timber company to the foresters, who are responsible for protecting the forest, given that in their areas false marks on the trees were identified, logged illegally outside of the marked by the foresters areas?

3. Why the independent all-round inspection by the Executive Forests Agency of “our firm” following a WWF signal was suspended in the last moment with no explanation?

4. Who bears the responsibility for the appointment of a director of the forestry with the clear purpose of removing all foresters, who resist violations in the forests?

5. What measures the Ministry of Agriculture and Food should undertake, so that the long-lasting vicious practice of removing directors and foresters, who oppose transgressors in the forests with political protection, is discontinued?

6. What measures the Ministry of Agriculture and Food will undertake, so that no more political pressure is allowed on cadres and management in the forestry system?

The coalition “Let Nature Remain in Bulgaria” reminds that a big part of the suggested by it measures for curbing political and corruption pressure on the forestry system with the purpose of putting a stop on illegal logging were rejected by the legislators at the last amendments of the laws. The present case again puts forward the urgent necessity for cardinal reform of the Forest Act, which should include:

- Establishment of an independent agency on forests at the Council of Ministers, which will de facto control the authorized by Ministry of Agriculture and Food timber industry in state forests;

- Reform of State forest enterprises, whose 95% of incomes go for salaries and jeeps of their staff;

- Putting an end to the export of unprocessed timber from State forests and the usage of central warehouses for timber;
- Separating the forest brand from the axe, so that the care for the forest will not be dependent on the economic interest for its logging, which will stop the vicious process of substituting forestry with timbering in the forests;

- Replacement of printed marks during loggings with control plates, in order to stop the ever increasing legalizing of illegal loggings through falsified printed marks;

- Full transparency in forestry plans, the logging documentation (licenses for logging, technological plans and listings of envisaged for logging trees) and the documentation for transfer of timber through the creation of a public electronic system.
According to environmentalists, the only way for forest institutions to start working again is the public trust in the forest system to be restored, and that those who are responsible for the destruction of the forest system through political pressure should bear the responsibility, and that urgent legislative measures for its reform should be undertaken.