The illegal logging in Nature park Belasitza must stop

Mass illegal cuttings of centuries-old beech and chestnut trees, often concealed with false marks have been observed on the terrain. Some of the timber firms with heavy construction equipment are building illegal forest roads, leading to the destruction of the forest landscape and erosion. A large part of the high-mountain tourist routes are ruined up to impassability by the machines used in the timber industry.

The established violations show that the activities of the forest enterprises contravene with the aims of the park, which necessitates additional efforts for finding a balance between the economic, public and environmental interests concerning the forests.

The coalition “For the Nature” sent signals to the Ministry of the Agriculture and Foods, the Executive Forest Agency and the Southwest state enterprise and insists on the completion of a complex examination throughout the whole natural park.
What is happening in Belasitza is not an isolated case, but a part of systematic violations in the whole country, which can be prevented only by undertaking specific measures for the saving of the centuries-old forests like:
- Depoliticizing of the appointments in the forestry enterprises through public competitions;
- Formation of public supervisory councils for the forestry enterprises and forestry control institutions;
- Restricting the logging activities in the nature parks up to satisfaction of the wood needs of the local communities;
- Execution of the logging activities in the protected territories by specialized teams of the state forestry enterprises;
- Appointment of forestry inspectors to the directorates of the natural parks.

Nature park “Belasitza” is the youngest park in Bulgaria, declared in 2007 based on the proposal of Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, with the aim of preserving of the centuries-old forests, consisting mainly of beech, chestnut and sycamore fields. The biodiversity is extremely rich and hundreds of protected species find refuge here. Belasitza is also known as the mountain of the waterfalls. More than 10 waterfalls, which attract with their beauty tens of lovers of the Bulgarian nature are found the Bulgarian part of the mountain. Every year thousands of tourists visit the tourist routes in the mountain, created also with the efforts of the local people. The preservation of the centuries-old forests is the only chance for conservation of this natural wealth and for the development of tourism in conformity with nature in the region.