Attention! Procedure for random allocation of vacant pastures 2022
The Central Balkan National Park Directorate announces a schedule for conducting a procedure for random distribution of vacant pasture areas on the territory of the National Park.
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29/04/2022
Guided tours in the beech forests of the Central Balkan National Park 2
Following the initiative of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate to organize free visits with guides to beech forests, part of a serial site of the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List, four more visits are planned in 2022 – two of them at the beginning of the summer and two at the end. They will be of varying difficulty – low, medium and high. The aim is to enable a wider range of people to reach pieces of Bulgarian nature that have received international recognition.
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31/03/2022
Annual grazing plan for CBNP is approved
By Order of the Director of the Park Directorate today, March 31, 2022, the Annual Plan for Grazing and Use of Hay in the Central Balkan National Park for 2022 was approved.
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21/03/2022
The national student competition "Ambassadors of Health"
The national student competition "Ambassadors of Health" is held in support of the lifestyle of young people. It is the prevention of unhealthy diet, low physical activity, alcohol abuse and smoking. The initiative is organized by the Ministry of Health.
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18/03/2022
WORLD WATER DAY 2022 GROUNDWATER - MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE
Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere. Out of sight, under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that enriches our lives. Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater. As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical. We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource. Groundwater may be out of sight, but it must not be out of mind.
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18/03/2022
Educational program "The Park as a Classroom"
The educational program "The Park as a Classroom" of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate has been renewed after a two-year break due to the pandemic situation in the country. It relies on the long-term cooperation between the park directorate and the pedagogical college from the park region. The aim is to contribute to the diversification of environmental education in the classroom and extracurricular activities of schools.
Read more >>Draft of an Annual plan for livestock grazing and using of hay in the Central Balkan NP
Draft of an Annual plan for livestock grazing and using of hay in the Central Balkan NP 2022 was announced.
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21/07/2020
Central Balkan National Park Directorate has commissioned the repair of an existing road from Beklemeto locality to Dermenka
Rehabilitation activities are carried out within the Contract under the project "Restoration and protection of natural habitats and species in Central Balkan National Park", funded by the Operational Program "Environment 2014 - 2020".
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Biosphere Reserve
The BR originates from four smaller biosphere reserves included in the MAB program in 1977. These are the strict natural reserves of Boatin, Tsarichina, Steneto and Dzhendema. In 2017, these biosphere reserves were transformed, expanded and renamed to create Central Balkan – Biosphere Reserve, meeting the requirements and principles of Seville's strategy.
Part of the territory of the Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve is a National Park with the same name. It was declared in 1991 and corresponds with the Category II of the IUCN Protected Area Category System.
There are three zones in the BR:
- Core zone – includes the nine strict natural reserves of Boatin, Tsarichina, Kozya stena, Steneto, Severen Dzhendem, Peeshti skali, Sokolna, Dzhendema and Stara Reka within the boundariae of the national park;
- Buffer zone – covers the entire territory of the park outside the reserves in it;
- Transition zone – the territories of the municipalities bordering the National Park – Troyan, Sevlievo, Pavel Banya, Karlovo and Anton.
CBNP (the core and buffer zones of the biosphere reserve) is one of the most important ecological corridors in the South Eastern Europe, supporting genetic exchange, distribution and connections between species from the Carpathians and other mountains in Eastern Europe, the southern parts of the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor.
The grasslands are distributed mainly in the upper subalpine and alpine treeless areas in the park. Under the 8 centuries of intensive grazing’s influence (including annual burning of bushes and trees) on the ridge parts of the park have formed extensive grassland communities.
Beech forests cover approximately 60 000 ha of the CBBR and are one of the biggest compact, relatively unchanged by men massifs in Europe. The dominant species is the common beech. Average age of the beech communities in the core and buffer zones of the biosphere reserve is 135 years, including some vital forests aged 240. Coniferous woods have limited size and are vastly dominated by the Norway spruce. The region is the northernmost point in the world and the only one in Stara Planina where the Balkan endemic Macedonian pine is growing naturally.
CBBR presents the opportunities for sustainable development through sustainable tourism, presenting historical and archaeological sites, architectural landmarks and preserved traditional crafts (wood-carving, icon-painting, leather-processing, weaving, pottery, coppersmith), enhance trading with local traditional products (home-made production of cheese, milk, rakia (Bulgarian brandy), wine, jams and other conserved food), as well as cultural festivals and gastronomic tourism and exchange of experience with other BR. The BR represents a framework for the sustainable development of the region.
The BR has a collective management body – an Advisory Council that plans and coordinates activities with the participation of all stakeholders.
(week days from 8:00 to 16:30)
+359886090658
(in non-working hours)
or е-mail address:
office@centralbalkan.bg