Area: 83615,52 ха
Ownership: state - 70%; municipality - 13%; private - 17%;
Description:
Dobrostan is located in southern Bulgaria, the Western Rhodopes. The area bears the name of the mountain ridge it covers. It includes also several adjacent ridges – Belocherkovski Ridge, Krustova Gora, Cherni Ridge and Chukata Ridge. To the north it borders on the Upper Thracian Plain, its limit passing beyond Assenovgrad, the villages of Cherven, Dolnoslav, Oreshets, Topolovo, Novakovo, Uzunovo and Panichkovo. Its western border is naturally outlined by the Chepelarska and Manastirska rivers, and its southern one – by the Davidkovska, the Arda River and Kurdjali Reservoir. The site’s eastern border passes along the Borovitsa and the Yailudere rivers. Dobrostan is a mid and high-mountain territory with complex ridge relief, cut by numerous river valleys. In geological aspect, the mountain is built of metamorphic rocks – gneiss, slates, amphiboles, marbles and granites, covered by palaeogenic vulcanites and sedimentas. In terms of habitats the region is transitional between the Western and the Eastern Rhopdopes. Most of the territory is occupied by forest habitats, mainly of broadleaved, coniferous and mixed forests. At the lower altitude the mixed xerothermal forests of Quercus pubescens and Querqus virgiliana with Maple Acer spp., as well as forests of Tilia tomentosa. All these forests are coppice ones. At higher altitude there are xeromesophyle and mesophyle forests of Fagus moesiaca, Quercus dalechampii, Carpinus betulus, Ostrya carpinifolia as well as the biggest protected forest of Austrian Pine Pinus nigra in the country. There are also small patches of forests of Abies borisii-regis. Coniferous forests of Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies are represented in the southern part of Dobrostan.. The spruce forests cover also the Prespa pik – the highest part of Dobrostan (about 2,000 m.). On the rounded tops and on the slopes there open areas of meadows and pastures with xerothermal and mesoxerothermal grass vegetation dominated by Festuca valesiaca, F. stojanovii, F. panciciana, F. dalmatica, Chrysopogon gryllus, Agrostis capillaris, etc. The share of shrub-covered plots is also big. Farmlands on a place of F. moesiaca and Quercus dalechampii are dispersed among the natural habitats. More than 100 endemic species occur in Dobrostan.
Birds:
Dobrostan supports 149 bird species, 28 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 60 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 4 of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 21 in SPEC 2 and 35 in SPEC 3 as species threatened in Europe. The area provides suitable habitats for 46 species, included in Annex 2 of the Biodiversity Act, which need special conservation measures, of which 37 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. Dobrostan is the place in Bulgaria where the globally threatened Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni still seems to breed with the most numerous population. The site is of global importance as a representative example of the Mediterranean biome. Five biome-restricted species, typical for the Mediterranean biome, occur there – Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca, Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala, Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica, Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans and Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer. It is of global importance for the Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca as well. In the high parts of the mountain typical species for the coniferous forests occur as the Hazel Grouse Bonasa bonasia, the Capercallie Tetrao urogallus and White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos. The site one of the most important in the country on a European Union scale for a complex of 12 bird species, as it holds substantial breeding populations of Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos, Imperial Eagle, Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus, Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus, Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus, Lesser Kestrel, Hazel Grouse, Capercallie, Eagle Owl Bubo bubo, European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus and White-backed Woodpecker. Dobrostan is one of the most valuable sites on a European level for the Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, Scops Owl Otus scops and Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus. It holds representative part of national breeding populations of Black Stork Ciconia nigra, Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus, Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus, Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius, Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus, Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius, Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus, Woodlark Lullula arborea and the Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio.
Threats:
The region of Dobrostan is particularly sensitive to forestry and agriculture activities, but also to water management and tourism. The main threats to forest habitats are the intensive forestry in the old broadleaved and coniferous forests, afforestation with non-indigenous species, intentional forest fires, the forest grazing, as well as the soil erosion caused by inappropriate forest management. The pastures within the forests are subject to plugging and gradual afforestation. The burning of Juniper cause destruction of habitats. Grazing is carried out on the pastures close to the villages. Pastures further away from settlements are not used completely because of the smaller number of animals today compared with the past. This together with the high level of emigration of people from the region cause abandonment of the land and rapid succession of the grasslands. The cutting of trees along the mountain rivers, as well as the building of micro-water power stations disturb the overall water regime and affect the significant part of habitats in Dobrostan. The general threats to birds are the reduction in the food resource in the region, because of the reasons described above, as well as the fragmentation and change of habitats. Direct threats to birds are caused by poaching (taking chicks and eggs from the nests, shooting of raptors and owls, using of traps), rock climbing and off road traffic of motor vehicles, etc. Nevertheless that the area is low populated it is one of main tourist destinations in the Western Rhodopes, particularly for the specialized cave and alpine tourism. The region of Dobrostan is a subject of serious interest for development of wind turbine farms and micro hydropower plants. This development could disturb the free movement of birds, especially the birds of prey, and will limit to a significant extent the access of birds to the suitable habitats. They will cause direct collision and killing of them, fragmentation and loss of valuable the habitats. The development of micro hydropower stations will disturb the overall water balance and regime of the region, the movement of the fish and will affect the food base of the Black Stork. Development of large scale recreational and tourist facilities is a potential threat to the region of Dobrostan.
Legal protection:
There are 14 protected areas in the site – 7 nature monuments, 5 protected areas, one maintained reserve and one reserve. They cover less than 4.3% of the territory and are designated to protect the landscapes, coniferous forests, rock formations, caves, waterfalls, habitats for rare and endangered plant and animal species. The “Tchervenata stena” Reserve was designated in 1962 and declared under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1977. About 57% of Dobrostan’s territory is in CORINE Site, which was designated in 1998 because of its European value for rare and threatened habitats, plant and animal species, including birds. In 2005 it was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
