State: SmolyanArea: 55327,31 ха
Ownership: state - 74%; municipality - 12%; private - 14%;
Description:
Trigrad – Mursalitsa is located in the central part of the Western Rhodopes, to the south of the town of Devin and to the west of the town of Smolyan. It covers the catchment area of the Vucha River (the rivers Shirokolushka, Muglenska, Buynovska, etc.), Mursalitsa Ridge and part of the Videnishki share. The site’s southern limit coincides with the state border with Greece. On the east it reaches the town of Smolyan, on the west – the grounds of the villages of Borino, Zmeitsa, Chavdar and Buynovo and on the north it covers a part of the Vucha valley up to Stomanevo. Its territory is of mid and high-mountain nature. It is a karst region with marble and riolite substratum. The main habitats are forests, rock complexes, open grasslands and rivers. The forests cover about 70% of the territory, the largest part of which are coniferous forests of Picea abies, but also at some places – Pinus sylvestris and mixed coniferous ones. One of the most valuable old forests are those of Pinus nigra and Abies alba. There are small patches of broadleaved forests of Fagus moesiaca, as well as mixed forest of F. moesiaca and Ostrya carpinifolia. The famous gorges of Buinovo and Trigrad with large rock massifs are situated there. The grassland habitats are quite diverse, but the communities of Agrostis capillaris and Nardus stricta predominate there (Bondev, 1991). The only completely developed sub-Alpine zone in the Western Rhodopi is situated in Trigrad-Mursalitsa in the area of pik of Perelik (2192 m).
Birds:
The region of Trigrad – Mursalitsa supports a total number of 141 breeding bird species, 68 of them being threatened or vulnerable, with habitats subject to conservation measures. Twenty-three species are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria. There are 55 species of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 3 of them (Corncrake Crex crex, Saker Falcon Falco cherrug and Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni) being listed in category SPEC 1 (globally threatened), 16 in SPEC 2 and 20 in SPEC 3 (threatened in Europe). The rest of the species have favourable conservation status, but as they are concentrated in Europe their conservation is of key importance for the species’ survival. The area provides suitable habitats for 37 species, included in Annex 2 of the Biodiversity Act, which need special conservation measures, of which 29 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. The site is one of the most important ones in the country on a European Union scale for the conservation of the Golden Eagle Aquila scrysaetos, the Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus, the Saker Falcon Falco cherrug, the Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus, the Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, the Hazel Grouse Bonasa bonasia and the Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius. It is also of European importance for the Goldcrest Regulus regulus.
Threats:
The region of Trigrad-Mursalitsa is situated between the state border to the south and populated territories to the north and to the east, including the district center of Smolyan. The area is particularly sensitive to forestry, but also to water management and tourism. The forest habitats are highly affected by the intensive forestry and overexploitation of forest resources out of the protected areas, as well as by illegal cutting on all its territory. This cause change of the quality of forest ecosystems, disturb the natural water regime of the whole region, as well as erosion and sliding processes. Removal of old semi dead trees and those with holes limits the possibilities for woodpeckers and owls to find proper breeding grounds and food. The investment plans for building of new big reservoir on Vucha River, as well as the plans for building of many micro water power stations along the river streams will further increase the negative impact on the overall water balance in Trigrad-Mursalitsa. The region is preferable destination for tourism, particularly specialized cave- and rock climbing tourism. This type of tourism cause significant disturbance to rock-nesting birds, due to the rock climbing, concentration of people at the rocky massifs, increasing the noise, etc. During the recent years disturbance to birds is caused also by construction of eco-paths, which does not take into consideration the nesting sites for birds, and lead to direction of tourists close to such areas. The hunting and poaching are common practice in the region.
Legal protection:
There are 3 reserves, one maintained reserve, 2 natural monuments and 5 protected areas, covering in total only 3% of the site’s territory. The Soskovcheto, Kazanite and Kastrakliy Reserves are designated in 1968 to protect the virgin spruce, fir, pine and beech forests, beautiful landscapes, waterfalls and brown bear habitats. In 1986 the Shabanitsa Maintained Reserve was designated to protect the old beech-spruce forest. In 2005 the area was appointed as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. About 64% of the territory of Trigrad-Mursalitsa overlas with CORINE Sites, designated in 1998because of its European value for rare and threatened habitats, plant and animal species including birds.
