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19/03/2025

World Water Day 2025

Every year on March 22, the world celebrates World Water Day by conducting various campaigns and initiatives aimed at raising public awareness about the global water crisis.

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11/03/2025

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05/03/2025

Violators with high-pass vehicles in the Central Balkan National Park have been sanctioned

Park Directorate employees detected unregulated movement of motor vehicles in the Park over the past weekend.

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05/03/2025

Ranking in the competition procedures for Chief and Senior Expert in Natura 2000 field.

Ranking in the competition procedures for Chief and Senior Expert in Natura 2000 field.

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04/03/2025

Returning home

On 28.02.2025, experts from the Directorate of the Central Balkan National Park and experts from Green Balkans released three birds.

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24/02/2025

System for determining the results of tender procedures, opened by Order No. RD-25/ 27.01.2025 of the Director of DNPCB

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14/02/2025

Educational meeting with young people from the National School for Mountain Guides in the village of Cherni Osam

On February 13, at the Natural History Museum - village of Cherni Osam, an expert from the Directorate of the Central Balkan National Park held an educational talk with students from the National School for Mountain Guides.

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14/02/2025

Ranking in the competition procedure for Senior and Chief Expert in the management of Natura 2000 protected areas

Ranking in the competition procedure for Senior and Chief Expert in the management of Natura 2000 protected areas

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13/02/2025

Ranking in the competition procedure for Chief inspector of Control and Security Department - North

Ranking in the competition procedure for Chief inspector of Control and Security Department - North

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03/02/2025

World Wetlands Day – “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future!”

On 2 February, the world celebrated World Wetlands Day under the motto “Conserve Wetlands for Our Common Future.”

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30/01/2025

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29/01/2025

Educational meeting with the "Youth Information Center" - Karlovo

The experts of Directorate introduced teenagers from the Youth Information Center - Karlovo and their Romanian guests from Asociatia Mod of Life to the activities of the Central Balkan National Park (NBNP)

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20/01/2025

Experts from the Central Balkan National Park participated in the international Midwinter Waterfowl Census

Experts of the Park Directorate participated in the Midwinter Waterfowl Census initiative in the country. They were responsible for surveying 6 large and several smaller water bodies.

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11/12/2024

Happy International Mountain Day!

Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve was accepted as a member of the World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves this year.

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29/11/2024

Illegally parked van removed from Dzhendema Reserve

After a Central Balkan National Park Directorate employees’ action, an illegally placed van with a surveillance camera and a feeder for wild animals was removed from the territory of the Dzhendema Reserve.

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04/11/2024

EMERGENCY ACTION AGAINST MOTORISTS IN THE TERRITORY OF THE CENTRAL BALKAN NATIONAL PARK

On November 2nd and 3rd, an action was held against the unregulated movement of motorcycles on the territory of Central Balkan National Park, led by the Director of the protected area - Georgi Krastev, with the participation of employees from several park sections.

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04/11/2024

Central Balkan National Park Directorate celebrated the International Day of Biosphere Parks, November 3, with festival events

On the occasion of the International Day for Biosphere Reserves Central Balkan National Park Directorate held three festival events in the municipal centers of the transition zone of the Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve - in Troyan on October 19, in Sevlievo on October 26 and in Karlovo on November 2

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31/10/2024

We are celebrating 33 years since the declaration of the Central Balkan National Park with the exhibition View of the Balkans

On the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of Central Balkan, the Directorate of the park opened an exhibition entitled "View of the Balkans", which collected 15 selected photographs from the amateur photography competition held this year.

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01/10/2024

"Study on forest ecosystems in mountain water catchments in Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve" project launched

Study on forest ecosystems in mountain water catchments in Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve" is among the five projects selected in 2024 for Europe and North America.

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02/09/2024

Central Balkan National Park employees found the carcass of a killed bear

The competent authorities have been notified and the case is being investigated

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23/08/2024

What you need to know when visiting Central Balkan National Park

Wildlife has a right to privacy. Preserve it in its natural state by using wisely your right to recreation and knowledge.

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31/07/2024

We celebrate International Ranger Day

Central Balkan National Park Directorate marked the date from the nature protection calendar with two consecutive events.

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20/07/2024

The fire in Central Balkan has been extinguished

The rain that fell around 16:00 over the area helped to bring the fire under control. For more than 72 hours, efforts to extinguish it continued in the Steneto reserve on the territory of Central Balkan National Park.

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25/06/2024

Central Balkan National Park Directorate and Ethnographic Open- Air Museum ETAR celebrated Saint John's Day

In connection with the celebration of the holiday of medicinal plants on June 23 and 24, visitors to the museum had the opportunity to learn more about herbs from experts of the Park Directorate.

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03/10/2023

The first celebration of the Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve was held in the city of Sevlievo

On Sunday (October 1) in the central city square in the city of Sevlievo, the festival event under the title "Common Future for People and Nature", organized by Central Balkan National Park Directorate, supported by Sevlievo Municipality.

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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:
  • 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.

Биосферен парк „Централен Балкан“