Last weeks, thousands of people from more than 15 cities went out on the streets and asked for real protection of Natura 2000’s zones in Bulgaria
The main reason behind the protests were controversial changes in the Bulgarian Biodiversity Act, initiated by the government and affecting the function of the European Ecological network. Passing the first stage of the voting, the changes will postpone the compulsory designation orders of Natura 2000 sites, limit the participation of scientists and experts in the monitoring and management of the zones and for another four years the lack of conservation objectives and measures will facilitate the destruction of Bulgarian rivers, forests and coastal areas.
Another breaking point for the protests was the discovery of several huge constructions in the protected areas on the Black sea’s coast. “We are exhausted of constantly losing our nature piece by piece", said Jordanka Dineva from Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation. "We urgently need a strategy and real actions for nature protection! 34% of the Bulgarian territory are part of the Natura 2000 network but this is only on paper and left without any real protection and proper management!".
Last week the European commission announced that the Bulgarian government has three months to prepare the designation orders of all Natura 2000 sites under the Habitat directive. 12 years after the establishing of the European network, only 11 out of 234 designation orders were prepared and an infringement procedure against the country will be initiated.
With the "Game on!" project we want to remind that Natura 2000 has a crucial role in the mitigation of climate change’s effects in Europe and can help ecosystems with their natural adaptation to the shifting conditions. All sites of the network already provide the necessary space for the local species and must be properly managed and protected as part of the Europe’s green future.
There is a strong correlation between Natura 2000 and climate change:
- Even though, the climate change will force the species and habitats to transform over time, the protected terrestrial and marine areas are and will remain some of the few safe heavens of Europe’s biodiversity. A good example are some of the most climate sensitive species - the birds which are already leaving their current habitats and migrating to other protected areas.
-Natura 2000 zones can and will help us cope with the current and the expected extreme events due to climate change (e.g. rising sea level, floods and heavy rainfall). Significant part of Natura 2000 areas are located along the Black Sea’s coast and river estuaries and form their main defense line.
-The current network of Natura 2000 covers almost 30% of the European forests and a large portion of the European peat lands which are a effective and natural carbon trapping solution with high carbon processing capacity.
In the next months, the protests are expected to continue until the end of the destructive practices against Natura2000 and the common European nature. To solve the current problems, we have to solve the old ones first. To have a green transition, we must have a green nature first.
Photos: Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, Kristina Kamburova
* Examples are discussed in the following document of the European commission: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/climatechange/pdf/Guidance%20document.pdf