State: Blagoevgrad, KyustendilArea: 4835,20 ха
Ownership: state - 39%; municipality - 48%; private - 13%;
Description:
The site covers mainly wet meadows and pastures in south-western Bulgaria, south of the town of Boboshevo. It includes the eastern slopes of the Vlahina mountain and Piyanets ridge above the Struma. Its territory stretches from the villages of Vukovo, Dobrovo, Sopovo and Boboshevo on the north to Buchino on the south. Its western limit passes through the mountain tops and its eastern – beyond Boboshevo and the villages of Dragodan, Borovets, Buranovo and Krumovo. There are several types of habitats on the site’s territory, but most important for the national Ecological Network are the wet meadows and pastures on the mountain slopes.
Birds:
Boboshevo meadows are of global importance for the conservation of the Corncrake Crex crex, which breeds there in numerous population.
Threats:
The area is very sensitive to the human activities related to traditional use of the meadows and pastures. 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 vineyards and forests. The changes in the hydrological regime of the area cause negative changes in the humidity of the meadows. Poaching is a common practice in the region, which lead to disturbance and persecution to birds, including Corncrake.
Legal protection:
Boboshevo is not protected by the national nature conservation law. In 2005 it was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
