State: DobrichArea: 4077,90 ха
Ownership: state - 76%; municipality - 10%; private - 14%;
Description:
The site is located in north-eastern Bulgaria, on the Black Sea coast between Balchik and Kavarna. It covers a south-eastern part of the Dobrudzha plateau, the coastal cliff and the adjacent shallow littoral area. To the north it borders on the Balchik - Kavarna road. The southernmost part of the Dobrudzha Plateau south of the road to Kavarna is covered by dry steppe grass vegetation. The substratum is sedimental – marl and Sarmatian limestones. The coast is vertical, with several terraces. It is cut by deep gorges and valleys covered by shrubs and broadleaved forests. The lower terraces are covered by xerophyle and steppic communities of Artemisia lerchiana, Agropyron pectiniforme and Bromus riparii. The upper terraces are covered by mesoxerothermal communities of Poa bulbosa, Lolium perenne and Cynodon dactylon. The seashore is narrow. There are many screes and landslides, caused by the erosive action of the sea. Close to Balchik there is a firth lake – Balchishka Tuzla. The wetland is partly overgrown with water fringe vegetation, dominated by reeds /Phragmites australis/. There are a lot of rare plant species recorded in the area of Belite skali.
Birds:
Belite Skali supports 91 bird species, 27 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 48 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 4 of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 16 in SPEC 2 and 28 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 39 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. Belite Skali is a typical bottleneck migration site of global importance for the soaring storks, pelicans and birds of prey, especially for the White Stork Ciconia ciconia and the Buzzard Buteo buteo. The raptors often overnight in the area. It is also one of the most important sites in the country on European Union scale for the conservation of the breeding Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris, Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla, Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria and the Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleshanka. The site holds representative breeding populations of the Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra and the Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria.
Threats:
The area of Belite Skali is under relatively significant anthropogenic pressure because of the existence of settlements. The continuing urbanization related to the intensive development of tourism, enlargement of the settlements cause fragmentation, deterioration and even loss of habitats mainly in the coastal zone, but also in the grassland areas on the plateau. Big investment project for construction of large-scale golf course is going to fragment compact natural mosaic habitats of grassland, bushes and small forests valuable for breeding birds and for migrating songbirds and raptors. About 30% of this habitat will be destroyed and turned into field intensively treated by pesticides. The significant human impact on the area is determined also by concentration of people at valuable areas along the coast and by illegal deposition of waste in many places in grassland habitats even in arable lands. The region of Belite Skali is particularly sensitive to construction of high facilities, especially plans of development of wind turbine farms both on land territory and in the sea. This development could disturb the free movement of birds, especially of soaring migratory birds, 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 used by birds for feeding and soaring, as well as places for avoiding of severe weather conditions. They will be a barrier for thousands of migratory soaring birds and night migrants on their flyway to the south and north and will cause further decline in their populations.
Legal protection:
The area does not have legal protection by the national conservation legislation. In 2005 the area was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
