Assessment of Natural Resources and the Environment: Issues and Opportunities for USAID/Sofia Submitted to: USAID/Sofia Sofia, Bulgaria Submitted by: Alicia Grimes (EE/EEST/ENR), Gregory Myers (EE/EEST/ENR) and Jeff Ploetz (EISN Project, DevTech Systems, Inc.) February 2002 USAID/Washington Final Report 2/22/2002 The information contained in this report is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent USAID's official policy or position. It is an internal document prepared by technical experts intended to help inform long term planning. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......................................................................................................................... iii SECTION I....................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction and Background........................................................................................................................1 A. Purpose and Objectives of the Assessment ............................................................................................1 B. Methodology...........................................................................................................................................1 C. Environmental Requirements for Country Strategic Plans.....................................................................1 D. Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................2 SECTION II ..................................................................................................................................................3 Bulgaria’s Biodiversity and its Economic Significance................................................................................3 A. Overview ...............................................................................................................................................3 1. Geography.............................................................................................................................................3 2. Biodiversity...........................................................................................................................................5 3. Flora......................................................................................................................................................5 4. Fauna.....................................................................................................................................................6 5. Bulgaria's Protected Areas ....................................................................................................................6 B. Economic Significance .........................................................................................................................7 SECTION III.................................................................................................................................................9 Legal and Institutional Framework Governing Environment and Natural Resources ..................................9 A. Legal Framework ..................................................................................................................................9 B. Institutional Framework.......................................................................................................................11 1. National Government..........................................................................................................................11 2. Municipal Government .......................................................................................................................12 3. Financial Bodies..................................................................................................................................13 SECTION IV...............................................................................................................................................14 Issues and Threats to Natural Resources and the Environment ..................................................................14 A. Threats to Biodiversity and Natural Resources .................................................................................14 1. Deforestation and Forest Fragmentation...........................................................................................14 2. Illegal hunting and Overharvesting...................................................................................................16 3. Loss of habitat, particularly wetlands ...............................................................................................16 4. Introduction of alien invasive species...............................................................................................16 5. Air pollution impacts on forests.......................................................................................................17 6. Climate change and drought .............................................................................................................17 B. Other Environmental Problems .........................................................................................................18 1. Air pollution......................................................................................................................................18 2. Solid Waste .......................................................................................................................................19 3. Hazardous Waste ..............................................................................................................................19 4. Municipal Wastewater ......................................................................................................................19 C. Cross-cutting Institutional and Legislative Issues .............................................................................20 1. Legislative Challenges......................................................................................................................20 a. Harmonization of Laws and Legislative Constraints....................................................................20 2. Institutional Weaknesses...................................................................................................................20 a. Difficulties in National Implementation of Law and Policy.........................................................20 b. Incomplete Decentralization.........................................................................................................21 c. Weakness of Regional Environmental Inspectorates....................................................................21 d. Weakness of Municipal Government ...........................................................................................22 e. Administrative inefficiencies and lack of coordination between agencies ...................................23 f. Lack of Transparency...................................................................................................................23 g. EU Accession at the expense of cushioning economic shock ......................................................23 h. Rule of Law and Judicial Concerns..............................................................................................24 i. Lack of Financial Resources for Environmental Interventions ....................................................24 j. Information Constraints................................................................................................................25 SECTION V ................................................................................................................................................26 Government, Private and Donor Actions to mitigate Environmental Threats ............................................26 A. GOB Responses...................................................................................................................................26 B. Private Sector/Civil Society Responses..............................................................................................27 C. Other Donors ......................................................................................................................................27 1. Government of Switzerland ...............................................................................................................27 2. Government of Denmark ...................................................................................................................28 3. UNDP/GEF Rhodope Region ............................................................................................................29 4. World Bank/GEF Wetlands Reconstruction......................................................................................30 5. EU Programs : SAPARD and Phare ..................................................................................................30 Section VI....................................................................................................................................................32 USAID’s Program.......................................................................................................................................32