State: SlivenArea: 1652,69 ха
Ownership: state - 8%; municipality - 37%; private - 55%;
Description:
Kamenski Bair is located in southern Bulgaria, south-west of the town of Sliven, in the grounds of the village bearing the same name. Its territory is locked between the Sofia – Burgas road on the north, the Sliven - Burgas railway on the north-east and east, the Sliven – Yambol road on the west and the village of Kamen on the south. The riverbed of the Tundzha is located to the south of the area, while its tributary, the Arka river, passes through it. Kamenski Bair is a low treeless hill. The main habitat are the open areas of farmland (arable and abandoned), pastures and shrub associations.
Birds:
In spite its small territory Kamenski Bair supports 142 bird species, 33 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 61 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 4 of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 17 in SPEC 2 and 40 in SPEC 3 as species threatened in Europe. The area provides suitable habitats for 40 species, included in Annex 2 of the Biodiversity Act, which need special conservation measures, of which 33 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. Kamenski Bair is of global importance as one of the most valuable territories in the country, used as a hunting ground by the globally threatened Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca. This small territory provide food for significant numbers of Imperial Eagles, as well as other threatened birds of prey as the Black Kite Milvus migrans and the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus during the breeding season, as well as for the Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus, the Marsh Harrier Circus areuginosus, the Montagu`s Harrier Circus pygargus, the Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina and the Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus on migration. The area is one of the most important breeding grounds in the country on European Union scale for the Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla, as the species is represented with very dense population there. The Roller Coracias garrulous and the Stone Curlew Burchinus oedicnemus also have representative breeding populations there.
Threats:
Kamenski Bair is small territory, situated in densely populated area with well-developed infrastructure in vicinity to the international road Sofia – Burgas. Thus the site is easy accessible in whole the area very vulnerable to all human activities that take place there and surround. The most serious threats to grassland habitats are the conversion of the pastures into arable lands or orchards, as well as the succession cause by the reduction in grazing cattle. Loss of grassland habitats lead to deny the raptors of their food base, as well as loss of breeding habitats for the Greater Short-toed Lark. There is a potential threat of development of wind turbine farms in the region, which will limit the access of the birds of prey to their hunting territories. They will cause also disturbed movement and direct persecution of birds. Burning of the arable lands after harvesting of the crops cause fires also in grasslands and degrade valuable habitats. Other threats that cause deterioration and even loss of habitats are the extraction of inert materials from the hill for road construction, as well as the building up of the territory because of the continuing urbanization. Existing electrical power lines are dangerous for raptors, especially for young birds. Poaching and use of poison against rodents directly affect raptors.
Legal protection:
Kamenski Bair does not have legal protection under national nature conservation legislation. In 2005 it was designated also as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
