BSPB Director Nada Tosheva: Few Countries Can Rival Bulgaria's Diverse Nature

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Interview with Nada Tosheva, Executive Director at the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB).

The EC Commission has sent a written warning to Bulgaria for systematic failure to provide adequate protection for its bird sites. What should Bulgaria do in the short-term to avoid being punished?

This is the second warning dealing with the inadequate protection of Natura 2000 Special Protected Areas in Bulgaria. The first one was sent on the 27th of Nov 2008. The immediate steps of the Bulgarian government should include:

- Temporary ban on approval of new projects in SPA until procedure on appropriate assessment (art.6 of Habitat Directive) is fully transposed into the national legislation.

- Proper transposition of the art.6 of Habitat Directive and art. 4 of the Bird Directive to deal with existing loop holes in the national legislation. The governmental institutions should not approve any projects without taking into account the cumulative effect, the quality of EIA, and the assessment of Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest (IROPI procedure)

- Reconsider some of the decisions taken after January 2007 regarding approved projects in SPA (e.g. some of the most damaging projects of wind-farms in Kaliakra and Sakar SPAs, the summer resorts in Kamchiya, etc.)

The growing number of wind-farms in Bulgaria is seen as a positive move by many environmental activists, is this your view?

We are far from being extreme environmentalists and we have always said yes to the renewable energy development, including wind energy, as a key measure to address climate change. At the same time biodiversity rich ecosystems are equally important for reducing greenhouse gases, and for buffering the impacts of already unavoidable climate change. One major problem, however, is that the development of the wind-power sector in Bulgaria is too fast and unregulated. Bulgaria does not have a Strategy for Renewable Energy Development that completely considers important concerns like biodiversity, human health, pro-biodiversity business, etc.

Of course birds can be very vulnerable to wind-farms (depending on location, species and other circumstances), especially in areas where they concentrate during migration like the Via Pontica Migratory flyway – the second biggest in Europe. Most vulnerable are raptors and other soaring birds, geese and other waterfowl, but also smaller birds – like passerines. Therefore migratory birds need adequate protection, and Bulgaria bears special responsibility to ensure such protection, according to the national legislation, the EU Directives and the international conventions including the CBD, Bonn and Bern Conventions.

Has Bulgaria got a long-term plan to protect its widely diverse flora and fauna and more specifically its native bird species?

Bulgaria was one of the first European countries to develop its National Biodiversity Strategy (1994), however, it was only approved in 1997 and most of its recommendations and objectives were never achieved. That is worrying because in terms of biodiversity Bulgaria is the second richest country in Europe. If we look at birds - on migration, wintering or breeding Bulgaria hosts 26 globally threatened species; Bulgaria is of European Union importance for five species - the Semi-Collared Flycatcher, the Imperial Eagle, the Olive-tree Warbler, and the Black-Backed Woodpecker. There are Species Action Plans for some birds which are approved by the Government. However, it does not mean that the government dedicates efforts or allocates funding for halting the loss for this globally threatened species. It is only thanks to the effort of non-governmental nature conservation organizations that funding is secured for saving emblematic species like the Egyptian vulture, Red-breasted goose, and Imperial eagle.

Just one example is the Egyptian vulture. The species facing a rapid decline throughout its entire range is one of the emblems of Bulgarian nature conservation. The only migrant among vultures, the Egyptian vultures in Bulgaria have decreased by half for the last seven years. As a result, there are 31 pairs left in Bulgaria. Unfortunately the Ministry of Environment does not implement or support at all conservation measures for the species. The BSPB team has developed the first National Species Action Plan; we have made the first steps to enhancing the spatial protection of the species by including over 82% of the nesting territories into the Bulgarian Natura 2000 network. To reduce the poisoning risk, we have designed and implemented an innovative scheme for artificial feeding, etc. While the reasons for the mortality on the Balkans are known, almost nothing is known about the reasons for the high mortality among the main wintering places in Africa. If urgent measures are not undertaken, it is possible that the Egyptian vulture become extinct in Bulgaria by 2030. That is why BSPB organizes, with own resources, the first scientific mission to a completely unexplored territory of the African Horn to find the answer to the secret of the depletion of the Egyptian Vulture.

Bulgaria is on one of the main European bird migration routes. In Italy, France and Spain the shooting of migrating birds has caused widespread public condemnation. What is the situation like in Bulgaria?

Luckily in Bulgaria there is no tradition to hunt birds during the spring migration when most birds are killed in other countries. There is illegal killing of birds in Bulgaria but we do not know the dimensions of it. The Ministry of Environment is supposed to establish and maintain a national database on Bird Crime but there is no such thing in place, although the Penalty code provides fines for killing nationally protected species; the fine varies between 250 and 2500 euro.

However, we have serious problems related to poaching, while the increasing scale of international hunting tourism poses a new challenge. Recently we received a letter from a Maltese colleague alerting us about what might happen in Bulgaria after spring hunting and trapping were banned in Malta. Especially because of the relatively low price of the real estate in Bulgaria, the country could become very attractive for foreign hunters.

A regular occurring problem is the wish of certain lobbies to extend the hunting season for water birds after 31st of January. We have strong scientific evidence (migration in Bulgaria starts in early February and therefore the disturbance of birds should be minimized) why this will be damaging but every year we have to fight as to prevent hunting season extension.

Another worrying trend for Bulgaria is the killing of wintering birds mainly buzzards. In 2007 a BSPB team found more than 20 buzzards killed by hunters only in a radius of 2 km.

We can not imagine the dimensions of the illegal killing of song birds. One year ago at Varna airport the custom officers confiscated more than 3 000 larks killed by Italian hunters for restaurants in Italy and Malta. Again, in 2008 the Italian Police stopped a truck coming from Bulgaria with 127 000 specimens of 83 protected species again for the restaurants in Italy.

Bulgaria is seen by many as a low-budget tourist destination. Is the Eco-Tourism sector well developed and how can this sector be improved to benefit the birds of Bulgaria?

Few countries can rival Bulgaria's diverse nature. Unfortunately this great asset was not perceived as a potential for ecotourism. Bulgaria is one of the few countries in Europe that has developed a National Ecotourism Strategy but apparently the government has completely forgotten about it. This was grimly evidenced - especially in the last five years when large tracts of the coastline and the emblematic mountains were virtually destroyed.

For BSPB ecotourism is a natural ally in saving Bulgaria’s natural heritage.

To promote ecotourism in 1995 BSPB established its own tourist company Neophron Tours. Through its activity BSPB raises funds for urgent field actions and conservation projects throughout the country. Thanks to the operation of the Neophron BSPB manages its two nature conservation centers – in Poda, near Bourgas and the Vulture Center in Madjarovo. The number of ecotourism companies that directly support nature protection is really small. Hopefully thanks to the efforts of the Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism the number of these socially responsible companies will grow.

Can you give us an overview of the star bird attractions in Bulgaria – which specific species draw in the crowds and if so are they well protected?

With the presence of about 410 bird species recorded, Bulgaria has indeed something to offer birders during all seasons. The country's most valuable natural features are preserved in three national parks, twelve nature parks and numerous wildlife and nature refuges. In May one could see 200 -250 bird species in two weeks only. It is very difficult to say which the star birds are. For instance autumn migration along the Via Pontica is one of the most spectacular and one could see intensive migration of soaring birds - 70% of the European Raptors, White & Dalmatian Pelicans, more than 100 000 White Storks, thousands of Black Storks and Cranes.

Still one could admire impressive views of several thousands of Red-breasted Geese in one of the biggest wintering grounds of this bird – the Durankulak and Shabla lakes near the Northern Black Sea.

There are excellent chances to see all the 22 breeding raptors in Bulgaria, including: Black, Griffon and Egyptian vultures, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Golden Eagle, Saker, Peregrine, Long-legged Buzzard, European Honey Buzzard, Montagu's Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Levant Sparrow Hawk.

There are also some other exciting birds like the Wallcreeper that could be seen in magnificent Trigrad Gorge - probably the most reliable place in Europe to find and enjoy this bird.

How can your organization, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), improve so as to help Bulgarians and tourists become more aware of the wonderful variety of bird life in the country?

In all its activities or projects BSPB has a strong public awareness component. The BSPB members are one of the most important communication channels; BSPB is one of the few real membership based organizations in Bulgaria. It also reaches a broader audience through its BSPB groups of friends in the USA, the United Kingdom and Germany.

BSPB also promotes Bulgarian natural heritage through the BirdLife network – the biggest network of grassroots nature conservation NGOs worldwide.

Neophron Tours also promotes responsible travel and ecotourism and spreads the message to a more general public.

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