UNESCO Natural and Cultural Heritage committee will add Pirin Natural Park to its endangered list as of next year

After several inspections in Pirin National Park UNESCO took a firm decision- Bulgaria should either guarantee that the construction of ski resorts will be terminated, or in February 2010 the latest UNESCO will include the Park in the “World natural heritage in danger” list with all the consequences for the country.

This diplomatic Faux Pas and the negative image came as a logical result of the five consecutive sessions regarding Pirin held from the year 2002 up to this date. What has become clear is that in the beginning of 2009 the Bulgarian government has suggested that the ski areas above Bansko, Dobrinishte, Razlog in Pirin National Park should be excluded from the World Natural Heritage borderline. This is a pretty straightforward confession that the state has not succeeded in preserving the Park.

There are some additional conditions towards the Bulgarian side which include increasing of the state resources for the management of Pirin National Park as well as a guarantees from the government that no decisions on local or regional level that can cause any further destruction of the park will be taken. Another requirement is the objectiveness of the Environmental Impact Assessment and ecological assessments made up to this moment and in the future.

Pirin National Park is included in the UNESCO’s World natural and cultural heritage List in 1983. After the initiation of construction work in Bansko ski area eight years ago UNESCO expressed its concern over the condition of Pirin National Park. Up to this moment the construction of two more ski areas has been planned-Dobrinishte and Kulinoto(above Razlog), regardless of the fact that this is not allowed by the Low on Protected Territories and the Plan for the management of Pirin National park which is in force up to 2013.

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Representative of the “For the nature” coalition participated on the meeting of UNESCO Committee with the financial help of “Open Society” Institute.