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Mountain area Rila hangs by a thread
Monday, 28 January 2008
International and Local Action to save Bulgaria’s Biggest National Park
On January 23 2008 more than thousand citizens from social and environmental moments and outdoor clubs joined a march, calling on the Bulgarian Environmental Ministry and parliamentarians to abide to the national and European legislation and stop the illegal resort developments in Rila National Park. Dressed as traditional “ghost chasers”, or “kouckeri”, representatives of local culture clubs circled the Bulgarian parliament to chase out the evil spirits. A large banner, saying “Rila Hangs by a Thread” was hung next to the building of the Environmental Ministry.
‘We carry headlights to bring light to Bulgarian authorities, who often seem to make deals in the dark. We demand transparency and insist that Rila Buffer is included in Natura 2000”, said Tsvetan Kosturkov, one of the organisers.
Eight international nature conservation and mountaineering organisations sent a declaration to the Bulgarian institutions demanding a halt to the illegal construction in Rila National Park. They claimed that the Bulgarian government decided against the inclusion of Rila Buffer into the Natura 2000 network of protected territories in order to enhance developers’ interests in the area.
CEEWEB, BirdLife International, EUROPARKS Federation, European Environmental Bureau, Scottish Natural Heritage, Mountain Protection Commission, Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme, Euronature and WWF urged the Bulgarian institutions to halt the construction of a road, a chairlift and three ski pistes, disguised as fire prevention corridors, and part of the illegal ‘Panichishte-Ezerata-Kabul’ ski resort. As of date the resort has not obtained any of the necessary development permits. Three other projects for major ski resorts - Super Borovets, Bodrost and Iskrovete threaten Rila National Park and Rila Buffer.
“The hype for developing large-scale resorts persists in Bulgaria, despite the stable decline in the demand for purchasing property along the coast and in the winter resorts”, says Vera Petkanchin from Citizens for Rila. “Uncontrolled over-construction and serious infrastructure problems, for example, have chased investors away from Bulgaria’s leading winter resort Bansko. Yet, other Bulgarian municipalities endorse similar projects that will inflict major damages on their natural resources and will have a negative long-term effect on their tourist industry.
Some more pictures of the action:
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 June 2010 )
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On January 23 2008 more than thousand citizens from social and environmental moments and outdoor clubs joined a march, calling on the Bulgarian Environmental Ministry and parliamentarians to abide to the national and European legislation and stop the illegal resort developments in Rila National Park. Dressed as traditional “ghost chasers”, or “kouckeri”, representatives of local culture clubs circled the Bulgarian parliament to chase out the evil spirits. A large banner, saying “Rila Hangs by a Thread” was hung next to the building of the Environmental Ministry.
CEEWEB, BirdLife International, EUROPARKS Federation, European Environmental Bureau, Scottish Natural Heritage, Mountain Protection Commission, Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme, Euronature and WWF urged the Bulgarian institutions to halt the construction of a road, a chairlift and three ski pistes, disguised as fire prevention corridors, and part of the illegal ‘Panichishte-Ezerata-Kabul’ ski resort. As of date the resort has not obtained any of the necessary development permits. Three other projects for major ski resorts - Super Borovets, Bodrost and Iskrovete threaten Rila National Park and Rila Buffer. 
