In September 2007 construction of what is hailed as “a new mega-ski area” began inside and around the boundaries of Rila National Park in Bulgaria. The park is one of the largest in Europe, a haven for natural forests, endangered species, and clean waters. A good indicator that these areas are in grave danger is the exclusion of the Rila Buffer Zone, an area around the National Park, from the NATURA 2000 network of biodiversity commissioned by the European Commission. Despite ample scientific evidence, the Ministry of the Environment prioritized political and economic concerns, violating the criteria set by both national and European law.
At this moment the Park’s chalets and lodges are being transformed into hotels and condominiums. Paths marked as trails on the National Park map are now roads. Trucks speed down from the mountaintops, hauling away timber illegally cut to create ski slopes. No management plan exists for the chairlift being constructed into National Park territory and the environmental assessment provided by developers is no longer valid. Unfortunately little is being done to stop this project. Although the local municipality was recently fined 5,000 euros for illegal road construction, the sanction seems to be a slap on the wrist considering the tens of millions supposedly invested in the project.
Sites on the Internet already promote properties near the Rila Mountains as the latest location to buy vacation homes in Bulgaria. Locations, like the Rila Lake holiday apartments (http://www.mirela.bg/en/project.php?id=44949), are in zones just excluded from protected status by the Bulgarian government. Unfortunately, prospective foreign buyers are largely unaware of the controversies surrounding these areas. Not only could they become silent accomplices in the destruction of Europe’s wilderness, they may also lose their investments purchasing illegal properties.
LET NATURE REMAIN IN BULGARIA, a coalition of 17 environmental and social NGOs are leading the movement against the illegal activities in Rila National Park. Unfortunately, their struggle is by no means easy. When activists tried to hand out information near the Rila Park Information Center, they were confronted by a group of men armed with guns and knives. They threatened the lives of the participants as well as the journalists covering the action. Although police arrived before any violence, it was the environmentalists that they warned, rather than the attackers. They were told, “Next time, we may show up too late.”
Despite the threat, the coalition remains firm in its conviction construction in the park must be halted until a full investigation can be made of the project’s environmental impact and the area’s status within the NATURA 2000 network is resolved. To prevent further destruction you can sign the petition for Rila and complete an online letter to the European Union at http://forthenature.org/petitions. To find out more about the destruction of natural areas in Bulgaria, see their website http://forthenature.org or find about WWF’s campaign for Bulgaria’s protected sites. You can also contact, Cveta Hristova, Forest and Protected Areas Program, Za Zemiata, cveta.hristova@gmail.com, cveta@zazemiata.org.