site.btaLand of 2.9 ha Purchased with Donations Gives Three Endangered Species Bigger Home

A land of 2.9 ha in South Sakar mountains has been purchased with donations to expand the territories of three globally endangered species: the imperial eagle, the saker falcon, and the European ground squirrel. The first protected land in Bulgaria, located near Topolovgrad and Svilengrad, is the result of a fundraiser that the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) launched at the end of 2022. 

Milena Ivanova of the BSPB told BTA that the fundraiser is open until the end of 2023 with the goal to raise BGN 100,000, equal to an area in Sakar Mountains of approximately 10 ha. The environmentally friendly management of the land purchased with the donations will help restore the shrinking populations of the three endangered species as well as protect the home of thousands of species of plants, animals, and fungi.

The newly purchased land will not have a protected area status, so encroachments on the species or their habitats will be subject to the general legislative provisions on environmental protection. Crimes against nature are the focus of the work of the newly established Crimes against Nature and Wildlife sector of National Police’s Economic Police unit, Ivanova recalled. The BSPB also relies on citizens to submit alerts about such crimes.

The imperial eagle is very rare in Bulgaria: only 38 pairs nest here, Ivanova specified. Within the EU, Bulgaria and Hungary are the two countries of greatest significance for this species’ conservation. The imperial eagle is at the top of the food chain, so its presence means nature rich in various species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. This large bird needs big pastures to find food and large trees for nesting; such places can be found in Southeastern Bulgaria but are quickly disappearing under the pressure of intense farming, Ivanova said.

The saker falcon is represented in Bulgaria by two nesting pairs only, when in the past it used to be widespread here. Its survival is linked with that of the European ground squirrel, which is a food source for the imperial eagle as well. This rodent has disappeared in many European countries, but in Bulgaria it can still be seen in some areas. Its population has plummeted again due to the shrinking of pastures with low grass - its preferred home, Ivanova told BTA.