The Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development will submit a proposal to the new Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov for urgent development of management plans for the protected areas “Kazashko” and “Yatata” near Varna.
Given that they are located next to a highly urbanised area and in close proximity to the industrial zone of Varna, the protected areas are threatened by illegal construction, unauthorised waste dumping, pollution and poaching, the request states.
Regional development plans do not take into account the presence of the Yatata MPA and there are still plans to build a railway line through the site. The Varna General Development Plan, on the other hand, envisages the construction of a second bridge over Varna Lake on the western part of the Kazashko area. The project idea is financially unjustified, but is among the biggest threats to the protected area, the proposal says.
According to the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water in Varna, only for the period from January 2022 to March 2023, there were 10 decisions on the coordination of investment proposals and 17 decisions on projects issued for the territory of the Varna-Beloslav Lake protected area. Although they are outside the boundaries of the Kazashko SPA, they are an indication of the investment pressure on the boundaries of the zone, according to ecologists.
“As a stakeholder in the development and conservation of these two protected areas, we believe it is imperative that management plans are adopted. They would provide a strategic framework for the conservation of natural resources and their sustainable development, as well as minimize threats to these unique areas”, says Ilian Iliev from the Public Center for Environment and Sustainable Development.
Anyone wishing to support the petition for the adoption of management plans for the two protected areas near Varna can do so until mid-February at the association’s office on Iliyan Str. “Every Friday from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., when the “Green Fridays” initiative takes place
The idea for a proposal to the Ministry of Environment and Water arose during one of the trainings with students from the Humanities High School “K. Preslavski” in Varna. Within two months, ecologists from the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development organized several open lessons on the importance of wetlands with over 150 students from three schools in Varna and Dobrich. During the lessons, the young people generated ideas on how to sustainably develop wetlands and the areas around them. They watched the films that were made about Kazashko, Yatata, Shabla and Durankulak lakes.
The tapes as well as the trainings were created under the project “The Unknown Paradise”, which is realized thanks to the largest socially responsible initiative of Lidl Bulgaria “You and Lidl for our tomorrow”, in partnership with the Foundation “Workshop for Civic Initiatives” and the Bulgarian Donor Forum.
