Bulgaria ranks among the leading countries in Europe in terms of biodiversity and preserved forests. A testament to this is the stable population of protected species such as the Lesser Spotted Eagle. This was highlighted during the final press conference of the project “LIFE for Eagle’s Habitats”, funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union.
Representatives of the Executive Forest Agency, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), as well as the Northeastern and Southeastern State Forest Enterprises, presented the results of the activities implemented within the project framework.
Eng. Rosen Raychev, Deputy Executive Director of the Executive Forest Agency and project leader, expressed high appreciation for the contribution of the project partners and emphasized that key activities have been successfully completed, contributing to the long-term conservation of the Lesser Spotted Eagle and its habitats.
Among the major achievements, he highlighted the transformation of artificial coniferous plantations into natural broadleaved forests, as well as the application of a close-to-nature silvicultural system for the production of high-quality timber, known as the Saarland method. Both activities were implemented by the state forest enterprises in volumes that exceeded the initial project targets.
“Despite the progress made, much work still lies ahead. Just a day ago, the Executive Forest Agency approved the Regional Programme for Shelterbelts in Dobrudzha, which will now enter its phased implementation,” Eng. Raychev announced.
As a significant success of the project, the experts pointed to the increased awareness among various stakeholder groups – farmers, hunters, representatives of forest and hunting enterprises, and forest inspectors. In this context, more than 100 training sessions and stakeholder meetings were held.
The forest educators described the awareness-raising campaign for children as particularly impactful. The campaign focused on the Lesser Spotted Eagle, its habitats, and the importance of the Natura 2000 network. Nearly 3,000 children from different regions of the country participated in the events.
