Bulgaria's Ministry of Environment announced five new protected areas

Outgoing Minister of Environment and Water, Borislav Sandov, has signed orders for the designation of five new protected areas: "Miladinitsa", "Timok Island", "Belitsa River", "Botunya River" and the natural landmark "Babú".

Miladinitsa Protected Area (Sandanski Municipality) covers an area of over 16 decares and is designated for the protection of a natural complex along the Lebnitsa River and specimens of the eastern sycamore (Platanus orientalis).

The area "Timok Island" of over 6 decares (on the land of the village of Vrav, municipality of Bregovo) is now protected for the conservation of habitats of endangered, rare and vulnerable waterfowl and waterbirds that nest on the Danube islands. These are great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), little cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus), grey heron (Ardea cinerea), little egret (Egretta garzetta) and shoveler (Platalea leucorodia). The area has a characteristic riverine landscape, including floodplain forests, which are a suitable resting place for birds of conservation importance and a potential breeding site.

The protected area 'Belitsa River' (in the lands of Belitsa village, Tryavna municipality), located on 542 decares, will protect the populations of protected and endangered species such as the brook crab (Austropotamobius torrentium), otter (Lutra lutra), yellow-bellied booby (Bombina variegata), pearl mussel (Unio crassus), Balkan crocodile (Romanogobio (Gobio) kesslerii), small crocodile (Romanogobio (Gobio) uranoscopus), Balkan pintail (Sabanejewia balcanica), etc. Conservationally important riparian forests with alder (Alnus spp.) and mountain ash (Fraxinus excelsior) are also valuable here.

The fourth protected area is the "Botuñya River Stream" on nearly 346 decares in the lands of the villages of Ohrid and Palilula, municipality of Boychinovci. The aim of the protection is a part of the Botunya River as a habitat for 22 species of fish and one species of mammal - otter (Lutra lutra), according to the Biodiversity Act, as well as an area with a characteristic and remarkable landscape.

Babu Nature Reserve, about 290 decares (in the lands of Sredogriv, Chuprene municipality and the village of Gyurgich, Ruzhintsi municipality, Vidin region) and is declared for the purpose of preserving characteristic rock formations of red sandstone, rock walls and columns, which form a remarkable site of inanimate nature with opportunities for the development of cognitive tourism.

A number of other protected areas are also in the process of designation. With these new decisions, in less than 8 months, the current leadership of the Ministry of Environment and Water has declared more protected areas, in terms of area size, than the previous 8 governments together, according to the press office of the environment ministry.

Images by Ministry of Environment and Water