July 28, 2016
During this time of global bird population decline, the European Commission argues
that Bulgaria has failed to protect endangered bird species. The country’s lack of
action has prompted the Commission to take Bulgarian officials to court.
Bulgaria’s Bird Problem
According to a press
release, the Commission alleges that Bulgaria isn’t doing enough to
protect endangered birds and their habitats in the country’s unique Rila
Mountains.
Rila is a southwestern mountain
range, and it represents the highest range in Bulgaria and the Balkans. The
mountain range is home to many endemic species of flora and fauna. There
are 24
species from Rila that have made it into the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species, which isn’t exactly something to be proud of.
What we’re learning from the
Commission is that many of these species are birds — 17 endangered bird species
and 20 vulnerable bird species to be exact. In an ideal scenario, Bulgarian
officials would have widened the special protection zone.
To its credit, Bulgarian
officials have deemed 72 percent of the zone as a special protection area. But
the problem, according to the press release, is that the specially protected
area has failed to cover critical portions of the habitats of 17 endangered
bird species listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive.
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