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 (4) Stop all works on catching Rila’s waters. Added to previous water catchments for the ‘Belmeken-Sestrimo; hydroelectric facility, this scheme threatens the ecosystem of Rila Mountain and considerably depreciates the planned Rila National Park.

(5) Abandon the controversial project of diverting waters from Mesta River (called Nestos in Greece) to the basin of Maritsa River (respectively Evros / Merich in Greece / Turkey) for irrigation purposes.

(6) Dismantle the newly developed facilities and infrastructure in Pirin National Park, inconsistent with its status of a World Heritage Site; rule out any further projects for ‘development’ of Pirin Mountain.

(7) Dismantle all facilities; located in Bistrishko Branishte Biosphere Reserve on Mount Vitosha, including the ski-piste ‘Vitoshko Lale’ and its ski-lift.

(8) Bring in accordance with the international standards Vitosha National Park, doyen on the Balkans. Stop any reconstruction and modernization there, leaving the existing out-of-place facilities (s.a. hotels and resting houses) to decay. Cancel the new regulation plan of Mount Vitosha, which conceives numerous further developments: roads, lifts, accommodation etc. Cease the grazing practices recently resumed in Northern Vitosha.

(9) Take action to preserve the aboriginal domestic fauna. A number of aboriginal breeds have already disappeared, others have become rare.

5. The High Bulgarian Mountains

The problem of nature conservation in Rila, Pirin and Vitosha Mountains is highly sensitive and of wider world dimension for two reasons. First, together with the Western Rhodopes and certain parts of Stara Planina (Balkan Mountains), these are the last sizeable, relatively undisturbed nature areas in Bulgaria, possessing biological diversity unparalleled on the rest of the continent. On the other hand, these regions face drastic irreversible changes within the next 5-10 years.

6. The Wetlands

It is well known that wetlands play a special role in preserving the natural genofund. However, human activities have reduced their total area in this country twentyfold during the last century. A national action programme for preservation of the existing and partial reconstruction of destroyed wetlands is needed to reverse this unfavourable tendency. In particular, such a programme should:

(1) Help save the so called ‘longoz’ forests along the lower courses of the Black Sea rivers Batova Reka, Kamchia, Ropotamo and Veleka. This extremely rare European dense forest, a moderate-zone analogue to the tropical rainforest, is threatened by the anthropogenic factor.

(2) Give appropriate conservation status to the river islands in major Bulgarian rivers s.a. Danube and Maritsa.

(3) Put under protection gravel-pit and other small artificial lakes, which are gene pools of rare aquatic flora and fauna species.