State: BlagoevgradArea: 23495,61 ха
Ownership: state - 72%; municipality - 17%; private - 11%;
Description:
Kresna is situated in South-west Bulgaria along the Struma River valley in the region of Kresna Gorge. On the south it reaches the villages Palat and Drakata, on the north – the village Krupnik, on the east - the foot of the Pirin Mountain and on the west – the foothills of the Maleshevska Mountain. The climate is transitory Mediterranean. The sediment soils prevail along the river course, followed by moltic, delluvial alluvial shallow soils and in the periphery – maroon soils. The Kresna Gorge is a rocky complex on a silicate base. It features steep stony slopes, a big rock massif with vertical cliff walls and smaller rocky habitats. South of the gorge there are hills covered with Mediterranean vegetation, with altitude up to 500 m. The mixed oak forests - Quercus pubescens, Carpinus orientalis, and Fraxinus ornus, as well as the mixed forests of Juniperus excelsa and Q. pubescens with undergrowth of evergreen Mediterranean shrubs are widely spread at an altitude of up to 500 m. Forests of Juniperus excelsa with undergrowth of Juniperus oxycedrus prevail at certain places. Paliurus spina-cristi and Pistacia terebinthus occur mainly along the gorges. In the more southern regions occur some typical Mediterranean evergreen species as Quercus coccifera and Phillyrea media. The associations of Pubescent Oak and Oriental Hornbeam are quite characteristic. The Juniper and mixed Juniper-Pubescent Oak forests with undergrowth of evergreen Mediterranean shrubs are the habitats, which determine the high proportion of the Mediterranean speices (more than 30%) in the ornithofauna of Kresna. Along the Struma valley in the Kresna gorge and in the foothills of the Pirin Mountain there are associations of Platanus orientalis. The lower parts of these regions along the rivers and on the wet spots support associations of willow and alder Salix spp. and Alnus spp. An endemic species occurring there is Minuartia dilijane. There are also sparse artificial plantations of Austrian Pine Pinus nigra as well as farmlands, mainly pastures.
Birds:
The region of Kresna supports 147 bird species. Twenty-two of them are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria. Sixty-four are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), two species being included in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened (the Corncrake Crex crex), 22 species – in SPEC 2 and 40 species – in SPEC 3 as threatened in Europe. Kresna supports the populations of a 44 bird species of European Union importance, 35 of which are included in Annex I of Bird Directive. Kresna is of global importance as a representative example for the Mediterranean biome. Eight biome-restricted bird species, typical for the Mediterranean biome occur there – Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca, Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum, Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus, Woodchat Shrike Emberiza melanocephala, Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica, Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans, Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala and Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer. For the Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes the region of Kresna is one of the most important breeding sites in Bulgaria. The area supports considerable country populations of the Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca, Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana, Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum, Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus, Woodlark Lullula arborea, Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra, Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius, Sombre Tit Parus lugubris, Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis and Scops Owl Otus scops. The Kresna Gorge is situated on the migration route Via Aristotelis and it is of regional importance for migrating birds – mainly passerines and raptors, but also waterbirds.
Threats:
The area is sensitive to human activities related mainly to agriculture, forestry, water management and infrastructure. Amongst the most serious impacts related to agriculture is the removal of the natural vegetation and conversion of grasslands and shrub-dominated habitats into arable land. Pasturing of goats in forest and scrub-dominated habitats causes deterioration of these habitats, as well as erosion. Clear-felling of forests and afforestation with non-native species causes change of the natural habitats. The area is crossed by an international transport corridor, which cause fragmentation and deterioration of habitats in the most sensitive part of the area – Kresna gorge. Big investment project for construction of highway through the Kresna Gorge is going to cause complete loss of large part of the habitats along the Struma River and will increase significantly the isolation of poulations of the animal and plant species occurring there. Activities related to building hydropower stations on Struma river, as well as changes in the hydrological regime of the river and its tributaries have negative effects on the riverine habitats and the whole area. The gradual urbanization also could cause negative impact on the valuable habitats.
Legal protection:
About 6% of the territory of Kresna is given legal protection under the national nature conservation law. The only reserve in the area – “Tissata” was designated in 1949 for the protection of Juniperus exelsa. Initially the reserve covers 19 ha, but in 1978 it is enlarged to its present territory. The “Moravska” Natural Monument is designated also for the conservation of Juniper. The other protected areas are designated for the protection of typical landscapes and plant communities. In 1997 the area was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. It largely overlaps with “Kresna” CORINE Site appointed in 1998 because of its European value for habitats, rare and threatened plant and animal species, including birds.
