site.btaActivists Call for Urgent Measures for Protection of Rila, Pirin, Vitosha National Parks

Activists Call for Urgent Measures for Protection of Rila, Pirin, Vitosha National Parks

Sofia, November 18 (BTA) - The For the Nature coalition of
environmental organizations has sent an open letter to the Prime
 Minister with copies to the President, Parliament leader and
Prosecutor General calling for urgent measures for protection of
 three national parks, Vitosha, Rila and Pirin, against unlawful
 development.
   
The letter, which was also circulated to the press, says that
areas of Vitosha Park where trees were planted on a EU-funded
campaign last year, have recently been unlawfully ploughed and
these areas "strikiningly match a plan for expansion of the
Aleko skiing area, which has been stopped by the Supreme
Administrative Court and the Environment Ministry".

In Pirin, a chair lift is being built outside the concession
area of the Bansko skiing zone and an offshore company which is
not the concession-holder, is about to acquire property rights
in territory that is exclusive state property, the activists say
 furher.

They blame the competent authorities for failing to react in an
adequate way and protect the three national parks.

They say that they have taken all lawful steps and expressed
their expert position through alerts, letters and opinions to
the competent institutions, and have participated in expert
meetings on these matters. The next step is a protest rally on
November 26 to nudge the competent institutions to respond to
the calls of the environmentalists. 

The activists want the unlawful development projects in Pirin
and Vitosha stopped and the national park directors or other
responsible office-holders sacked, and insist that contemplated
new plans for management of the three parks be re-done.

Furthermore, they insist that the government should designate
all construction projects in Pirin as state property and thus
preclude possible re-sale of assets by the concessionnaire as
has happened with ski lifts on two of the ski runs.