State: Gabrovo, LovechArea: 1942,60 ха
Ownership: state - 31%; municipality - 47%; private - 22%;
Description:
A complex of wet meadows and pastures, located on flat or slightly sloping terrain around the Vidima river and its tributaries in the region of the town of Apriltsi, in the foothills of the Central Balkan Mountain and the Central Balkan National Park, about 30 km south-east of the town of Troyan. The meadows are overgrown with mesophyle grass vegetation with prevalence of Agrostis capilaris, Festuca rubra, Cynosurus cristatus, etc. (Bondev, 1991).
Birds:
Apriltsi meadows are of international importance for the conservation of the globally threatened Corncrake Crex crex, breeding there in considerable numbers. The area is not sufficiently studied for the rest of the bird species occurring there.
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 arable land. 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:
The Apriltsi Meadows territory is not protected by the national nature conservation law. In 2005 it was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
