State: Gabrovo, LovechArea: 7892,91 ха
Ownership: state - 21%; municipality - 23%; private - 56%;
Description:
Devetashko Plateau is a karst plateau, located in northern Bulgaria, in the pre-Balkan to the north-east of the town of Lovetch. On the north-west the plateau forms an edge over the Osam river, which outlines its limit. On the north its limit passes through the grounds of the villages of Alexandrovo and Kravuna, to the east of Kravuna it turns to the south-west and passes through the grounds of Gorsko Slivovo and Kurpachervo. On the west it follows initially the Yoglav – Tepava road and then continues to the north-east to Devetaki, where it turns again to the south and outlines a bow open to the south. The base rock is limestone, with almost all kinds of surface and underground karst forms – whirlpools, pot-holes, karst marshes, precipices and caves. Some of the biggest caves and cave complexes in Bulgaria are located there. Broadleaved forests occupy 1/3 of the area and the remaining 2/3 are open areas. The forests are mainly oak forests of Quercus cerris, Q. pubescens and Q. virgiliana. At some places there are mixed Silverleaf Lime forests of Tilia tomentosa, Carpinus orientalis and Fraxinus ornus, as well as shrubs and forests of Carpinus orientalis. The grasslands are overgrown with mesoxerothermal vegetation with prevalence of Poa bulbosa, Lolium perenne, Cynodon dactylon and Dichantium ischaemum, or with mesophyte grass communities of Festuca pratensis, Poa sylvicola, Alopecurus pratensis, Lolium perenne, Agrostis stolonifera, etc. (Bondev 1991).
Birds:
The rock complexes in the region provide habitats for a number of petrophilic bird species, some of which are rare and threatened. It supports 78 bird species, 8 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 38 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), one of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened (the Corncrake Crex crex), 12 in SPEC 2 and 25 in SPEC 3 as species threatened in Europe. The area provides suitable habitats for 23 species, included in Annex 2 of the Biodiversity Act, which need special conservation measures, of which 20 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. Devetashko plateau a site of global importance for the conservation of the Corncrake. It is one of the most important sites in the country on the level of European Union for the breeding Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus and Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana. The Eagle Owl Bubo bubo, the Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus, the Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus, the Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla, the Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria and the Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio also occur there with representative breeding populations.
Threats:
The area is very sensitive to the human activities related to traditional use of the meadows and pastures, as well as the forestry. The most serious threats are the haymaking activities, which do not take into account the breeding period of the corncrake as well as the conversion of grasslands into arable land. Illegal waste deposits are spread through the whole area, particularly along the roads. The use of pesticides and chemicals in the surrounding arable land has negative impact on the food base for the most of the birds that breed there.
Legal protection:
About 0.5% of the site territory is protected by the national nature conservation law. It is represented by 3 protected areas and 2 nature monuments. 70% of Devetashko plateau coincides with the Devetsahko plateau CORINE Site appointed in 1998 because of its European value for rare and threatened habitats, plant and animal species, including birds. In 2005 the area was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
