State: Sliven, YambolArea: 5636,48 ха
Ownership: state - 8%; municipality - 22%; private - 70%;
Description:
Adata-Tundzha is located in southern Bulgaria, south of the town of Sliven. It covers the Tundzha River course between Rechitsa residential area and the villages of Mechkarevo, Samuilovo, Panaretovtsi, Gergevets, Glufshievo, Zhelyo Voyvoda and Zavoy. It is a complex of agricultural plots, meadows with meso-xerothermal grass vegetation interspersed with shrubs, pastures and open grasslands, located on the Tundzha river terraces. The site includes the Tundzha riverbed itself with its clay and sandy banks, as well as the riverine grass, shrub and tree vegetation.
Birds:
Adata-Tundzha supports 160 bird species, 36 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 68 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 4 of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 19 in SPEC 2 and 45 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 40 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. The area is of global importance during the winter as roosting site for the Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus and as staging ground for the Great Egret Egretta alba. The area is regularly used during the winter by the Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca, which is also threatened on global scale. Adata-Tundzha is one of the most important site in the country on a European Union scale for the the conservation of Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris, Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris and Montagu`s Harrier Circus pygargus. The site holds significant breeding population on European scale of the Bee-eater Merops apiaster. Other species threatened on European Union territory and Eorope as a whole also have representative breeding populations there – the Little Bittern /Ixobrychus minutus/, the Kingfisher /Alcedo atthis/, the Roller /Coracias garrulus/, the Olive-Three Warbler /Hippolais olivetorum/, etc.
Threats:
The area is sensitive to the human activities related mainly to water management, sand and gravel extraction activities, as well as forestry. Cutting of trees and shrubs along Tundzha River for reason of prevention of floods, afforestation with hybrid poplar, as well as expansion of the sand and gravel extraction cause deterioration and even loss of valuable habitats for the roosting of birds, in particular the Pygmy Cormorant. It together with the illegal cutting of threes causes further erosion of the riverbanks. Illegal waste deposits are spread through the whole area, particularly along the roads. The use of pesticides and chemicals in the surrounding arable land cause change in the water quality, which reflect to the food base of waterfowl. Because of the easy access of the area there is high disturbance to birds caused by illegal hunting on protected species, illegal net fishing, as well as intentional direct disturbance to Pygmy cormorant in its roosting sites.
Legal protection:
The area does not have legal protection by the national conservation legislation. In 2005 it was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
