Ministry of the Environment and Waters Bulagrian-Swiss
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MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT BULAGRIAN-SWISS BIODIVERSITY AND WATERS CONSERVATION PEOGRAMME 2004 PREFACE In historical aspect the boundaries, the regime and the management of the territory of the Pirin National Park have undergone a number of changes. In 1963 the park was first designated as People’s Park “Vihren”, with an area of 6736,0 ha. In 1974 the People’s Park Pirin was designated with an area of 26 413,8 ha. With this area it was included in the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage by UNESCO’s order of 1983. 1979 was an important year in the park’s history – an independent Directorate, subordinated to the Ministry of Forests and Forestry industry and seated in the town of Bansko, was formed. In the last several years the idea of establishing a “good management practice” as a necessary condition for achieving sustainable development of the protected areas acquired a global recognition. After 1996-1997 this became a major issue in Bulgaria too. The sense of the good management practice is the involvement of the people, who define its goals and priorities and participate in their fulfillment. To make this possible it is necessary to establish a management system, which allows everybody to live a long, healthy and creative life. In international aspect, there is a new structure of people’s motivation. Except the good food, rest and recreation, care for the body and the health, the people favour a combination of intact natural environment with cultural and historical resources, which satisfies their spiritual needs as well. Because of these reasons the national parks become tourist focal points, which together with their adjacent territories, if managed in a coordinated manner, represent functionally linked elements of the sustainable development. The Pirin NP management plan proposes specific measures and mechanisms, which may contribute to the changing of people’s thinking and way of life. The plan’s main message is that the overcoming of the people’s isolation and the establishing of conditions for their effective interaction with the park administration are necessary prerequisites for the achieving of sustainable development. On behalf of the Pirin National Park Directorate, I would like to express our gratitude to the authors of the management plan and to all, who participated in its elaboration. We hope that the conclusions and recommendations made will lead to a wider and more active participation of the people in the protection of the Pirin NP as a World Heritage site. Georgi Grancharov, eng. Director of the Pirin National Park ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The elaboration of the Pirin NP management plan required the involvement of an utmost wide circle of citizens and experts, who, with their comments and recommendations, became committed co-authors. In the process of work we had the chance to use the professional advice of permanent international consultants with experience in the management of protected areas, like Peter Hislaire and Pierre Galland from Switzerland and Andrej Bibic from Slovenia. Closest to the authors’ team were the employees of the Pirin NPD. The Directorate’s staff provided support in the form of transport, information, logistics, etc. Employees of the municipalities of Razlog, Bansko, Gotse Delchev, Sandanski, Strumiani, Kresna and Simitly also showed understanding and provided support for the elaboration of the plan. Special thanks deserve the BSBCP Executive Director Rossen Vassilev and the foundation’s staff, which provided technical support and created favorable work conditions throughout the whole period. The tasks, related to the Pirin NP management plan were fulfilled in close relationship with the BSBCP Pirin Project team in Bansko, with coordinator Petko Tsvetkov. I would like to thank for the co-operation, provided by RIEW – Blagoevgard, the district and municipal administrations, with which we hope to continue working together in the future. And last but not least, the team thanks all members of NGOs and educational institutions in the region and the representatives of the local mass media for the expressed interest and cooperation. Acknowledging the support obtained, the team assumes full responsibility for the data, opinions and positions, expressed in this plan. Ljudmila Dimitrova, Landscape architect MP Coordinator ABBREVIATIONS PAA Protected Areas Act REMPPA Regulation for Elaboration of Management Plans for Protected Areas SDC Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation MOEW Ministry of Environment and Water NNPS National Nature Protection Service SG State Gazette BAS Bulgarian Academy of Sciences MAF Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry NFB National Forestry Board MRDPW Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works RFB Regional Forestry Board MRS Mountain Rescue Service NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations BTU Bulgarian Tourist Union PTF Pirin Tourism Forum BSPB Bulgarian Society for Protection of Birds NPD National Park Directorate NP National Park MP Management Plan GIS Geographic Information System v. village CM Council of Ministers MFNP Ministry of Forestry and Nature Protection PA Protected Area PAs Protected Areas BSBCP Bulgarian Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Programme MFFI Ministry of Forestry and Forest Industry ATS Administrative and technical sections CE Capital equipment PR Park region PR Public relations MI Ministry of Interior RSFAS Regional Service for Fire and Accidents Security SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats analysis Mt. mountain EIA Environmental Impact Assessment HEC Higher Expert Council JOBS Jobs Opportunities by Business Support Project UNDP United Nations Development Programme SFB State Forestry Board N North NE North - East NW North – West E East SE South – East SW South – West W West __________________________________________________________________________________ Pirin National Park. Management Plan. 2004 S South WEPS Water Electric Power Station vol. volume fam. family NPA Nature Protection Act RIEW Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water DIR Directive PL Power line HEPS Hydroelectric Power Station PDU Power distribution unit Co Company p. point FAO Food and Agriculture Organization dka dekar GDP Gross Domestic Product NSI National Statistical Institute TIHD Total index of human development SGS State Game Station CHH Cultural and Historical Heritage Ldi Landscape diversity index PDP Park Development Project RSFAS Regional Service for Fire and Accidents IUCN The World Conservation Union SC Scientific Council BA Biodiversity Act MPA Medicinal Plants Act HGPA Hunting and Game Protection Act MD Ministry of Defense MI Ministry of Interior FACA Fishery and Aquatic Cultures Act PCC Public Consultative Council FB Forestry Board UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization COD Chemical Oxygen Demand BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand __________________________________________________________________________________ Pirin National Park. Management Plan. 2004 C O N T E N T S Abbreviations, used in the text……...............................................................................................……......... І Summary........................................................................................................................................….......... ІІІ Map No 1 Location of the Park in relation to the borders of the Republic of Bulgaria Part 0: Introduction 0.1. Justification for the elaboration of the Management Plan ...................................………….................. 1 0.2. The process of elaboration – participants, public hearings........ .................................................... 2 0.3. Purpose and peculiarities of the Plan …….............................................................................................. 4 Part 1: Description and evaluation of the Park 1.0. Location and boundaries ……................................................................................................................. 5 1.1. Area of the Park and the protected territories within it ..............………..…........................................... 6 1.2. Cadastral and administrative affiliation………….................................................................................... 7 1.3. Legal status …. ........................................................................................................................................ 8 1.4. Ownership…........................................................................................................................................... 11 1.5. Management structure…….................................................................................................................... 13 1.6. Existing projects………………………................................................................................................. 19 1.7. Existing functional zoning and regimes………. .................................................................................. 23 Characteristics of the abiotic features 1.8. Climate. ................................................................................................................................................. 24 1.9. Geology and geomorphology................................................................................................................. 26 1.10. Hydrology and hydrobiology…............................................................................................................ 30 1.11. Soils.....................................................................................................................................................