Third Meeting of the Working Group
Sofia, Bulgaria
2-5 November 2004
THIRD MEETING OF EUROSAI WORKING GROUP ON ENVIRONMENTAL
AUDITING AND BIODIVERSITY AND NATURE PROTECTION SEMINAR,
3 NOVEMBER 2004, SOFIA, BOYANA RESIDENCE
ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES OF BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT
IN THE FIELD OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATON
Mrs. Dolores Arssenova, Minister of Environment and Water
Dear participants,
Dear guests,
The long-term strategic goal of the country in the field of environment is “to improve
the quality of life of the population in the country promoting friendly environment
and protecting the rich nature on the basis of sustainable management of the
environment.” One of the main priorities of the environmental policy of the
Government is conservation and restoration of biodiversity and sustainable use of
biological resources.
Although Bulgaria has a small territory (111 000 kilometres square), the rich diversity
of flora and fauna species is typical for the country. There are many examples of
almost all the basic types of habitats known in Europe. Our country is at the third
place in Europe with its rich biodiversity. This circumstance is not only a reason for
pride, but it requires our high responsibility to protect this national natural wealth. In
this regard, a National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy was developed in Bulgaria
in 1995. It defines the strategic goals in this field:
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Development of new legislation and transposition of the European directives
in Nature Protection Sector;
Development of national protected areas network and protection of rare flora
and fauna species;
Improvement of the management and capacity building;
Establishment of conditions for development of ecotourism;
Providing sustainable funding for activities concerning protected areas and
species protection.
In the process of implementation of these strategic goals significant results were
achieved in the last 5 years:
Protected Areas Act was adopted in 1998. It defines a new modern model of
categorization and purpose of Bulgarian protected areas in compliance with the
criteria of IUCN (The World Conservation Union); regime of protection; protected
areas management plans; management bodies; coordination and security.
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A new Medicinal Plants Act was adopted in the year 2000. It regulates the protection
and sustainable use of more than 600 flora species with medicinal characteristics.
Biodiversity Act was adopted in 2002. It introduces the requirements of the whole
European legislation in Nature Protection Sector.
The implementation of the Project: Bulgarian National Capacity Self-Assessment
(NCSA) for Improved Global Environmental Management has continued in 2004. It is
a joint initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Water and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The NCSA consists of series of researches, analyses and consultations involving a
wide range of stakeholders, experts and state bodies representatives. It includes 3
thematic fields and the relation between them in the context of sustainable
development, the national process of environmental protection and accession of
Bulgaria to the European Union:
 Climate change – (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change);
 Biological diversity – (Convention on Biological Diversity);
 Combat desertification – (United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification).
As a result of the project realization it was possible to assess the needs of
strengthening and building the administrative capacity in order to ensure better
participation of the country in the management of the anthropogenic impact on the
global environment and to submit measures in this field.
Biodiversity conservation at territorial principle by establishing protected areas
network is one of the most important tasks of the Ministry of Environment and
Water. At the end of 2003 this network consisted of totally 866 protected areas: 3
national parks; 11 natural parks; 90 reserves; 402 protected sites and 352 natural
monuments. The total area of the protected areas is 550 000 hectares or about 5%
of Bulgarian territory.
Our most valuable forestry and high mountain habitats, wetlands, unique rocks and
caves, habitats of rare, endemic plant and animal species are under regime of
protection in this network. Some of these protected areas, especially the national
and natural parks, are also important places for the development of ecotourism as
an alternative form of economic benefits for the local population.
As a contribution for the European NATURA 2000 Network Bulgaria has to ensure the
protection of the most preserved sites which include more than 100 types of habitats
under the EU Directive on habitats. A part of them is already under protection in our
protected areas network.
Protected areas are obliged by law to develop management plans. In the short time
of Protected Areas Act implementation 100% of the national parks and 50% of other
protected areas are covered by the approved plans or plans under preparation. The
development of plans for the other 5 natural parks and some reserves is included as
a main task under forthcoming international projects.
Every year park and reserve administrations plan and implement different activities
in protected areas aimed at: monitoring; supporting and recovering measures for
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habitats and species; construction of tourist infrastructure; establishment of visitor
centers; organization of training programs for visitors, local population and students.
Different measures have been undertaken for the protection of biodiversity species:
567 plant and 421 animal species are under strict protection on the territory of the
whole country. Most of them are under the protection of EU Directives and
international conventions. The use of more than 80 plants and animals is under a
special regulation in order not to allow deterioration of their population in the
country. Bulgaria has taken the engagement to ensure the protection of the most
important habitats of 100 plant and 226 animal species for the purposes of the
European NATURA 2000 Network and according to the Biodiversity Act.
During the two years of implementation of the Biodiversity Act a Sturgeon
Conservation Action Plan has been prepared and approved. 9 plans concerning
priority bird species and 8 plant and 4 animal species plans have been developed.
The new legislation clearly determines the functions and responsibilities of the
institutions concerning protected areas and biodiversity conservation – mainly
Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
It is clearly outlined the need of human resources at all levels in the institutions. At
the central level of the MOEW in 1999 there were 7 people working in the field of
nature protection. At present they are 18 people – well trained and equipped. 13
specialized administrations for national and natural parks management were
established at regional level. The personnel of the Regional Inspectorates of
Environment and Water increased, concerning management and protection of
reserves and biodiversity conservation control. There are already 350 specialists and
rangers working in these structures at regional level, while in 1998 they were only 60
people. During the last years training seminars were regularly held for the personnel
in the relevant fields of their responsibilities.
Public participation in decision making has been ensured through the introduced
practice of organizing public hearings, adoption of Protected Areas Management
Plans as well as involving representatives of nongovernmental organizations in
collective bodies of the Ministry of Environment and Water: the High Expert
Ecological Council, the National Biodiversity and Medicinal Plants Councils; the
National Hunting Council, etc. The conditions on public access to information
regarding protected areas and biodiversity are constantly improving.
Till the adoption of the new legislation in Nature Protection Sector funding of
activities on protected areas and biodiversity conservation was implemented without
mechanisms for durable providing of financial resources.
The above mentioned as well as the new responsibilities caused the need to provide
sources and durably increase the annually invested resources. In this regard, we
should mention that the funding has increased annually by national and international
programs. In 2000 it was BGN 1 mln. and till now it reached more than BGN 5 mln.
in 2004 from national sources as well as from international programs.
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New international projects for the coming years are being developed. In this regard
we have the reason to think that the funding of activities in the field of biodiversity
and protected areas conservation will continue increasing permanently in future.
We estimate our achievements in the field of biodiversity conservation in the last
years as significant since they concern entirely new and recently adopted legislation
in this sector. Although we are proud of our achievements we realize that they are
not sufficient and it was proved by the conclusions and recommendations made in
the report of the National Audit Office in 2004. Taking in mind the above mentioned
as well as the forthcoming accession to the European Union the following priority
tasks and objectives are to be solved in a middle-term plan:
1. Adoption and implementation of Genetically Modified Act and implementation
of secondary legislation;
2. Establishment of National Ecological Network which includes:
 Protected areas covering at least 15 % of the territory of the country;
 NATURA 2000 sites covering at least 20 % of the types of the spread in
the country habitats of flora and fauna species included in the EU
Directives;
 Establishment of buffer zones around all reserves, supported reserves
and wetlands.
3. Development and implementation of management plans for the rest of the
parks and reserves as well as the most valuable wetlands and other protected
territories;
4. Development and implementation of action plans for the conservation of the
most endangered flora and fauna species;
5. Raise of the staff of the Ministry of Environment and Water and the National
Forrest Administration with 20 % at least;
6. Realization of training programs on implementation of legislation, including for
municipal administration;
7. Development and/or implementation of strategies and plans, including on
ecotourism, for conservation and sustainable use of forest, fish and game
resources.
In conclusion I would like to say that the audit in the field of biodiversity held by the
National Audit Office of the Republic of Bulgaria in 2004 is one of the several audits
of environmental policies during the recent years. We acknowledge the practice of
the National Audit Office to perform audits for evaluation of the quality of the
strategies and plans, the degree of accomplishment of the tasks, set up in them and
the efficiency of the envisaged mechanisms. As an independent institution the
National Audit Office gives us valuable advice, which is exclusively helpful in our
work. We hope that these independent evaluations and good cooperation will
continue in the future in order to raise the efficiency of our work and to realize our
long-term goals.
I wish successful and beneficial work to the forum.
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