Bulgaria

Bulgaria, a predominantly mountainous country, covers a terrestrial area of over 110,000km² and has a marine area exceeding 35,000km². It is characterized by plains, as well as the Balkan and Rhodope Mountain ranges, and the Black Sea coastline. The country shares borders with 5 neighbouring nations. The highest peak, Musala, reaches a height of 2,925m. Bulgaria has a population of 6.87 million people, resulting in a population density of 63.9 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

of marine waters

covered by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Bulgaria cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of Bulgaria terrestrial territory is designated as protected areas, which is significantly above the EU value of 26.4% with the target of 30% to be reached at the EU level by 2030, as set by the EU Biodiversity Strategy. Currently at , protected areas coverage in the marine waters of Bulgaria is below the EU mean value of 12,1%.

Number of protected areas

Bulgaria has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Bulgaria, nearly two-thirds of the protected areas in the terrestrial environment are exclusively designated as Natura 2000 sites, indicating their importance in conserving biodiversity and natural habitats. An additional 21.5% of the protected areas hold dual designations, falling under both the Birds and Habitats Directives as well as national laws. The remaining of the protected areas are designated solely under national laws. The marine protected areas network in Bulgaria consists almost exclusively of Natura 2000 sites.

Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

The size distribution of the protected areas network in Bulgaria’s terrestrial environment, aligns with the trend observed in many other EU countries, where the majority of protected areas are smaller than 1km². However, the distribution of protected areas in the marine waters of Bulgaria presents a more heterogeneous picture, with small protected areas (less than 1km²) constituting only 6% of the network.

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Bulgaria cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Bulgaria under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Bulgaria hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 15% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 68% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Bulgaria, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.

Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Bulgaria, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 59.8%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 9.9% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 8.2%.

Conservation Status by Taxa

In Bulgaria, the assessment of species groups reveals that arthropods have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 51%. Following closely behind are fish, with 49% of species in good conservation status, and vascular plants with 36.8%. On the other hand, vascular plants exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 10.5%. Molluscs have a high percentage of unknown conservation status, reaching 61.5%, followed by non-vascular plants with 50% of species in unknown conservation status and fish with 49% of species in unknown conservation status.

Habitats protected in Bulgaria under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Bulgaria hosts habitat types, which is approximately 39.5% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Bulgaria

Conservation status of habitats

In Bulgaria only 12.2% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is slightly below the EU average of 14.7%. A significant proportion of assessments, amounting to 79.2%, indicate a poor conservation status, while habitats assessments reporting bad conservation status are 5.32 % , significantly below the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In Bulgaria the group with the biggest number of protected habitats is forests (29.3%), followed by grasslands (19.5%), coastal and salt-tolerant habitats (13%).

Conservation status by group

In Bulgaria the assessment of habitat groups reveals that forests have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 24.6%. Following behind is sclerophyllous scrub, with 20% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, freshwater habitats exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status reaching 25%. A high share of habitats have poor conservation status. The share of rocky habitats, heath and scrub, dunes and coastal habitats in poor conservation status reach 100%.

Bulgaria is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: Agroecosystems, which cover 51.8% of the country, followed by Forest ecosystems occupying 40.7% of the land area. However, Bulgaria has relatively smaller proportions of urban areas (4.6%), heathlands (1.9%), rivers and lakes (0.8%), and wetland ecosystems (0.07%).

In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 55.9% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 38.4% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Urban areas account for 2.1% of the protected areas, emphasizing the significance of protecting nature within urban environments. Heathlands contribute to 2.2% of the protected areas, while rivers and lakes represent 1.2%, and wetlands comprise 0.2%.