State: Pernik, Sofia, Sofia stolitsaArea: 27110,54 ха
Ownership: state - 70%; municipality - 17%; private - 13%;
Description:
Vitosha Mountain is located in western Bulgaria, to the south of Sofia plain. The site includes entirely the Vitosha Mountain and its limits coincide with those of the Vitosha Nature Park. To the west it borders on Vladaya, Murchaevo, Rudartsi, Kladnitsa, Studena dam and Bosnek. To the east the limit passes beyond the villages of Bistritsa, Zheleznitsa and the residential area Yarema. To the south it descends to Bukapreslapski pass, which separates Vitosha from the Verila Mountain. Its northern limit goes beyond the Sofia residential areas Boyana, Knyazhevo, Dragalevtsi and Simeonovo. The Vitosha is a part of the Plana – Zavalska chain, being the only cupola mountain of volcanic origin in Bulgaria. The mountain’s territory supports about 1490 vascular plant species, 500 algae and over 360 lichen species. Of the vascular plants 72 are Balkan and 24 are Bulgarian endemic species. Forth-eight species are glacial, and 47 are Tertiary relicts. Due to the mountain’s relatively high altitude, its vegetation has clearly expressed vertical belts. There is a mixed broadleaved forest belt, beech forest belt, a coniferous forest belt and a sub-Alpine belt sparcely distributed alpine habitats.
Birds:
Vitosha supports 114 bird species, 18 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 38 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 1 of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 15 in SPEC 2 and 22 in SPEC 3 as species threatened in Europe. The area provides suitable habitats for 25 species, included in Annex 2 of the Biodiversity Act, which need special conservation measures, of which 22 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. Vitosha mountain is of global importance for the Corncrake Crex crex that breeds there in significant numbers. It is one of the most important places in the country on a European Union scale for this species and for the Tengmalm`s Owl Aegolius funereus. The Scops Owl Otus scops and the Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus breed there in numbers that are of significance on a European scale. Te site holds representative populations of Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum, European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus, White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos. The Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides trydactylus is found to breed there as well.
Threats:
Vitosha is sensitive in respect of conservation of the natural habitats because of their fragmentation and conservation of planr and animal species because of their distinct populations. Vitosha Mountain is surrounded form the north by densely populated areas with more than 1.5 million inhabitans – Sofia capital and the town of Pernik. In spite the area has legal protection as Nature Park it is vulnerable to a significant extent to all activities related to urbanization, infrastructure development, tourism development, forestry, as well as the maintenance of grassland habitats. The enlargement of Sofia city cause continuous rapid urbanization of the areas north of the nature park up to its borders. Illegal building activities take place even within the border of the park. Vitosha is the main destination for recreation and tourism of the about 1 million inhabitants of the capital, as well as the citizens from the other surrounding settlement almost throughout the years. The intensive movement of big numbers of people during the breeding season cause disturbance to birds mainly in grasslands areas and along the paths in the forest areas. In recent decade the gliding and hang-gliding activities become intensive in the area and cause significant disturbance to birds of prey. Expansion of the facilities for ski sport causes deterioration of habitats. The elucidation of the ski ways has negative impact on owls. The plans for further large scale expansion of the existing ski resort will have damaging effect on both the grassland and forest habitats, and on a ecosystem as a whole. The forestry activities are intensified in recent decades, which cause changes in the structure and the quality of the forest habitats. The grasslands in the lower parts of the mountain are not maintained appropriately after the restitution of the land. The colonies of the Souslik Spermophilus citellus decreasing rapidly and the species is threatened by extinction from the area during the next years. It could cause extinction of the Golden Eagle that breeds there. On the territory of the park intensive hunting activities take place, as well as use of poison for control of the predators. The poaching common practice in the area. Other potential threats to the site in addition of the sky tourism development are the intentions for new water piping, rapids and micro-power stations, which could cause further disturbance of the water regime of the mountain. There is a potential threat for construction of wind turbine farms within Vitosha Mountain, which will have direct negative impact on the birds of prey breeding and migrating there.
Legal protection:
The territory of the proposed SPA (more than 99%) is a part of the “Vitosha” Nature Park, designated in the year 1934 to protect the remarkable ecosystems typical for the mountain. The park includes 2 reserves – “Bistrishko Branishte” and “Torfeno Branishte”. The Bistrishko Branishte Reserve was designated in 1934 to protect primary spruce ecosystems and is listed in UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1977. There is one nature monument here – the “Douhlata cave” designated in 1962 to protect the longest cave in Bulgaria. In 1998 CORINE Site with the same name was designated because of its European value for rare and threatened habitats, plant and animal species, including birds. In 2005 Vitosha was designated also as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
