22/04/2021
Earth Day Campaign
On April 22 - Earth Day, employees of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate cleaned the area around the building and planted flowering seasonal plants.
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21/04/2021
April 22 Earth Day 2021
The theme of Earth Day 2021 is to 'Restore Our Earth'. It focuses on adopting natural processes and emerging eco-friendly technologies that can restore ecosystems.
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12/04/2021
The Central Balkan National Park Directorate will mark the borders of the managed protected territories
The marking represents two horizontal stripes - white and red. It is placed to be visible when entering the protected area.
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05/04/2021
Monitoring of Family Gliridae in Central Balkan National Park
Experts of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate and the Natural History Museum - Cherni Osam village made 32 houses for dormice.
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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
Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve is situated in the most central part of Bulgaria, inextricably connected to the highest part of Stara Planina (Balkan Range). It has an area of over 369,000 hectares and includes the Central Balkan National Park, along with the nine reserves located therein and the territories of 5 of the neighbouring municipalities.
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:
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.
The region of Central Balkan is one of the most significant natural centres for the protection of biodiversity and wildlife in Europe. It is characterised by significant landscape diversity.
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.
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.
Phone number for making alerts and complaints: +35966801277
(week days from 8:00 to 16:30)
+359886090658
(in non-working hours)
or е-mail address:
office@centralbalkan.bg
(week days from 8:00 to 16:30)
+359886090658
(in non-working hours)
or е-mail address:
office@centralbalkan.bg