Strasbourg, 3 September 2002 T-PVS/Files (2002) 7 [tpvs2002\file07e_2002] CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF EUROPEAN WILDLIFE AND NATURAL HABITATS Standing Committee 22nd meeting Strasbourg, 2-5 December 2002 Specific File Construction of a Motorway in the Gorge of Kresna - Corridor No. 4 of transport: EU PHARE Project – Connection Bulgaria - Greece (Motorway E79 : Sofia-Kulata) Report of the on-the-spot appraisal (30 May – 1st June 2002) by Mr Guy Berthoud, ECONAT SA, Yverdon-Les-Bains, Sitzerland (e-mail : [email protected]) Secretariat Memorandum Prepared by The Directorate of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. Ce document ne sera plus distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire. T-PVS/Files (2002) 7 - 2 - CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................3 1.1. Justification of the expertise .................................................................................................3 1.2. Course of the expertise .........................................................................................................4 2. ANALYSE REGIONAL CONTEXT ........................................................................................ 5 2.1. Geographical characteristics of the site .................................................................................5 3. KNOWLEDGE OF THE EXISTING SITUATION...................................................................... 7 3.1. Zone conserned with the project ...........................................................................................7 3.2. Geomorphologic situation ....................................................................................................7 3.3. Vegetation............................................................................................................................8 3.4. Fauna .................................................................................................................................10 3.5. Infrastructures of transport..................................................................................................11 3.6. Villages and isolated dwellings...........................................................................................12 3.7. Transformation of the landscape .........................................................................................12 3.8. Remarkable protected sites .................................................................................................12 3.9. Ecological network in the landscape ...................................................................................13 4. PROBLEMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A ROAD WITH STRONG TRAFFIC IN THE GORGE . 15 4.1. Influences...........................................................................................................................15 4.2. Distrubances.......................................................................................................................16 4.3. Preliminary EIA report in the step of selection of the alternatives .......................................17 4.4. Search for alternatives paths ...............................................................................................19 4.5. Choice of a preferential path...............................................................................................20 4.6. Claims of the ONG’s..........................................................................................................24 4.7. Step of consultation and participation .................................................................................24 4.8. Assessment of the current situation.....................................................................................25 5. SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS................................................................................................ 25 5.1. Integrating the natural constraints .......................................................................................25 5.2. Measures of compensation..................................................................................................26 5.3. Study of alternative paths ...................................................................................................26 5.4. The environmental assessment of the “CORINE-Biotope” site............................................26 5.5. Environmental evaluation...................................................................................................27 5.6. The plan of environmental measures of the motorway project (PEM)..................................27 6. CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................ 27 APPENDIX: DRAFT RECOMMENDATION TO THE STANDING COMMITTEE.......................... 29 - 3 - T-PVS/Files (2002) 7 Expertise concerning the Construction of a Motorway in the Gorge of Kresna Corridor No. 4 of transport: Connection Bulgaria - Greece – 1. Introduction 1.1 Justification of the expertise In September 2001, the Standing Committee of the Convention of Bern was seized by a complaint deposited by a group of ONGs Bulgarian relating to the construction of a motorway through a site of the Network EMERALD, the Gorge of Kresna (Bulgaria), which is likely to be affected by the project in a prejudicial way. Rather than opening a file of procedure for complaint against the government, the committee considered it preferable to answer the proposal of the Bulgarian authorities to organize a visit on the spot and to try a conciliation between the parts. This expert report makes the synthesis of the information collected at the time of this visit and present of the solutions to try to solve the problem. Summary of the situation · In 1997 the investigations for the construction of a motorway in the south of Western Bulgaria begins. It is about the corridor n°4 of transport. The initial path entirely crosses the Gorge of Kresna - sector of exceptional natural value known as a future site selected by the " CORINE- BIOTOPE/NATURA 2000 " program. · During the period 1998-1999, the General Administration of Roads (GRA) prepares several reports/ratios of environmental impact studies (EIA) for the project of motorway, which will be successively rejected by the Ministry of the Environment and Waters (MIAULER). · Between 1999 and the 2001 the Ministry of Environment requests the Ministry for Regional Development and General Administration of Roads to provide several proposal for the realization of realistic alternative routes apart from the gorge. · The conceptual study of the motorway is registered in the financial memoranda 98 and 99 of the program PHARE of the EU. · In April a 2000 contract is signed with Italian company SPEA Ingenerie Europea to carry out the feasibility study of the project. · The pilot project of application of the Network EMERALD in Bulgaria, proposes 7 priority sites of "CORINE-BIOTOPE" zones of special interest for conservation (ZISC) potential. The gorge of Kresna is not included in these seven sites but is registered as a potential "CORINE-BIOTOPE" site. · In November the 2000 outline of EIA report prepared by SPEA is rejected by the Ministry of the Environment and Waters because of significant omissions. · Until May 2001 the evaluation of alternative paths avoiding the gorge is not part of the mandate of the SPEA. · In November 2001, the contractors devoted a few days to the study of solutions of replacement. A documentation of 3 maps and 4 pages of text is prepared by the SPEA. T-PVS/Files (2002) 7 - 4 - · In October 2001 the ONGs1 submit a proposal for the designation of the gorge of Kresna as a protected area in conformity with the concept of designation of a protected sector around the gorge, prepared by the Ministery of the Environment in spring 2001. · In December 2001 an EIA report of the project is deposited with the MIAULER. The ministry immediately files proceedings also the procedure of classification of the protected site is not finished. · The public consultation, included in the procedure of EIA, is carried out between March the 3 and 5 2002 with a preliminary distribution of documentation considered to be insufficient and with a weak participation of the local communities that did not allow any feedback about the project. · The complaint of the ONGs in September 2001, arguing the non respect of the Convention of Bern, follows several requests of collaboration with the Ministry for transport. It asks for an expertise from the Standing Committee of the Commission of Bern in Strasbourg. · A three day visit of the site is organized by the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment between May 30 and June 1 2002 to present the problems to the secretariat of the Commission and to his experts. 1.2 Course of the expertise The expertise consisted of several stages. · Presentation of the technical project by the company SPEA Ingeneria Europea, including: - The process of the study aiming from the beginning to an improvement of the existing road. - The search for alternatives allowing to better satisfy the requirements of a motorway and to avoid the probable impacts on the protected site (basic project + 4 alternatives). - Argumentation aiming at the selection of an acceptable alternative. - Stages of presentation of the project to the village authorities and the ONGs. The SPEA placed