Implementation PEBLDS in Central and Eastern European Countries Authors: Bulgaria Green Balkans Czechia Dr. Mojmir Vlasin Ecological Institute Veronica of Czech Union for Nature Conservation Estonia Dr. Kalev Sepp Environmental Protection Institute Hungary Klára Hajdu - Eszter Bokodi CEEWEB Latvia Inga Raèinska Latvian Fund for Nature Lithuania Ruta Vaicèiunaite, Lithuanian Fund for Nature Poland Przemyslaw Wylegala - Andrzej Kepel The Polish Society for Nature Protection "Salamandra" Romania Márton Kelemen - Tamás Papp Milvus Group Slovakia Dr. Jaromír Šíbl BROZ (Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development) Slovenia Anamarija Slabe - Ariana Lucija ISD (Institute for Sustainable Development) Katja Poboljsaj Herpetological Society Nejc Jogan Biological Society CEEWEB 2003 Introduction and acknowledgement The 'Environment for Europe' (EfE) process is an essential political framework for coop- eration on environmental issues in the UN/ECE region. Since 1991 it regularly brings together Ministers of Environment at pan-European conferences to formulate environmental policy and to take important decisions in this area as well as to review the results achieved. The 5th EfE Ministerial Conference (to be held in Kiev, Ukraine, 21-23 May 2003) is the next important milestone in this process. It will focus on and seek common solutions for strength- ening the environmental pillar of sustainable development in the region, providing environmental security and building new partnerships among all stakeholders. In the period since the EfE was launched a large number of conventions, strategies and policies aiming at nature conservation have been developed, among them the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy. Since its ministerial endorsement in Sofia (1995) the implementation of the PEBLDS is on the way. Many CEE countries adopted and/or ratified it, and eventually started to work on the practical implementation. However, in spite of all these efforts, there seems to be no significant improvement in the state of nature. In the present study member organisations of the CEEWEB network from 10 countries want to give a comprehensive picture of the state of nature in the participating countries and of the level how PEBLDS is considered and implemented in the country. I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for the authors of the national reports: Green Balkans, Bulgaria, Dr. Mojmir Vlasin, Czechia, Dr. Kalev Sepp, Estonia, Klára Hajdu and Eszter Bokodi, Hungary, Inga Raèinska, Latvia, Ruta Vaiciunaite, Lithuania, Przemyslaw Wylegala and Andrzej Kepel, Poland, Márton Kelemen and Tamás Papp, Romania, Dr. Jaromír Šíbl, Slovakia, Anamarija Slabe, Ariana Lucija Tratar Supan, Katja Poboljsaj and Nejc Jogan, Slovenia. Moreover I would like to express my thanks to my colleague, Sándor Barati without whose help this report could not been produced in time and in quality and to our accountant Edit Szász to keep track of finances in the 10 participating countries. Last, but not least I also want to say thank you for the generous support of the Swiss Agency for Environment, Forests and Landscape particularly for Mr. Jürg Schneider and for Mr. Robert Lamb for the guidance, comments and cooperation. Budapest, May 2003 András Krolopp General Secretary CEEWEB 2 3 Bulgaria The report is elaborated according to an assigned form and consists of two parts. The first one (introduction and state of nature conservation) represents the baseline information about the country, as well as an assessment of its conservation policy in the field of biological and landscape diversity. The second part (implementation of the Pan-European Strategy) repre- sents the experience of the 12 key Action Themes of the Strategy. Introduction 1. General description of the country (history, political background, economy, NGO movement) Physical-geographical description Bulgaria is situated in the latitude of 41 44 o N and the longitude of 22 - 28 o E. It covers an area of 110 912 square km in the North-East part of the Balkan Peninsula, bounded on the west with Macedonia and Serbia, on the south with Greece and Turkey, on the east there is a large outlet to the Black Sea, and on the north it shares a border with Romania. The population of the country is more over 7 900 000 people. The capital is Sofia. The country is characterized by a variety of relief and landscape as a result of millions of years of geomorphologic processes. The relief of the country is strongly segmented in vertical aspect. There are five identified belts: lowland, plain and hilly, low mountainous and high mountainous. 70% of the country territory is covered by lowlands and plains. The average altitude is 470m. The highest mountain chains in the Balkans are located within the territory of Bulgaria - the highest peek of the Peninsula is Musala (2 925m). The water reserves of the country are not very rich despite the numerous springing rivers - Maritsa, Tundzha, Struma, Mesta, Arda, etc., underground waters and karsts springs. The climate is continental to Mediterranean. Short historical data Bulgaria as a state on the Balkan Peninsula is established in 681. Since 1396 to 1878 the territory falls within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire. After the liberation in 1878, following the Berlin Contract, Bulgaria is severely dismembered. On the north from the Balkan Mountains a new autonomous Bulgarian principality forms, tributary to the Sultan, and South Bulgaria remains entirely under the political and military power of the Sultan, with administrative autonomy and bearing the name South Rumelia. In 1885 Bulgarian prin- cipality and South Rumelia unite. In 1879 Turnovo Constitution announces the Monarchic rule in Bulgaria, which is preserved till 1944. From 1944 till 1989 the country is a Republic ruled by the communistic party, supported by the USSR. After 1989 the country undertakes the way of the democratic development. After 1985 until 2000 the country suffers a hard economic crisis, caused by the change of the political system and high foreign indebtedness. As a consequence of a number of political 2 3 and structural collisions in the period of 1990-2000, political parties unanimously identify the foreign political course of the country towards accession to the European Union. During the totalitarian regime (1944-89) the existence of an independent NGO movement was extremely impeded and almost impossible. The Communist party controlled the classical large organizations, such as the Red Cross, the Bulgarian Tourist Union and the Bulgarian Hunting and Fishing Union. Related to environment, a National Committee for nature pro- tection existed, entirely controlled by the communist rule and broke down after 1989. The first informal organizations, founders of the NGO movement in Bulgaria, appear in 1987-88, after Russian perestroika started. The first environmental organization is the Committee for Saving Rousse, which later grew into the National Ecoglasnost Movement. The first nature conservation organization is Green Balkans, established in 1988. During the period of 1990- 93 a number of environmental NGOs were established. At present they amount to 350. The major organizations that influence policy in the field of environment and conservation are: Green Balkans Federation of Nature Conservation NGOs, National Ecoglasnost Movement, Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, Borrowed Nature, Bulgarian-Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Programme, Wilderness Fund, Balkani Wildlife Society. Only two organizations have established networks nationally: Green Balkans and Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. 2. State of nature and nature conservation Biological diversity Natural characteristics of the country. Although Bulgaria has a relatively small territory (110 912 square km), it has a rich biological diversity due to its high diverse climatic, geo- logical, topographic and hydrological conditions. These conditions allow the existence of a biota that includes 94 mammal species, 410 birds, 36 reptiles, 16 amphibians, 210 Black sea and fresh water fishes, about 27 000 insects and other invertebrates, 3 500 -3 750 species of higher plants and more than 6 500 lower plants and mushrooms. The riches of Bulgarian biological diversity is defined by the biogeographic location of the country. The small country territory contains biota, influenced by three biogeographic sub- regions of all eight: Palearctic - continental, Mediterranean and Irano - Turanean (Caspian). Bulgarian biota includes a significant number of endemic species and sub-species. Plant endemics comprise about 5 percent of the total flora - a rather large share compared to other, larger European countries. The information available for invertebrate taxa states that 8.8% of the non-insect species and 4.3% of the insect ones are endemics. This percentage will most probably be increased after a further complete study of the groups. Rarity rate varies significantly in the different taxonomic groups. Rare for the flora and fauna have been categorized more than 700 higher plants, a great part of which are endemic species, distributed in high mountain regions; 567 species of non-insect invertebrates (approximately 23% of all known species); over 1 500 insect species; 29 species of Black sea and fresh water fishes; 2 snake species, 80 bird species (including 18 species of the list of globally threatened species of 1993 of the World Conservation Union [IUCN]); and at least 10 large mammals, including the