State: HaskovoArea: 3550,23 ха
Ownership: state - 71%; municipality - 25%; private - 4%;
Description:
A part of the deep, narrow valley of the Arda river, surrounded by mountain slopes and rock massifs up to 150 m high. The area is located in the Eastern Rhodopes, between the village of Borislavtsi and the town of Madzharovo. A big part of its territory is occupied by rock complexes, single cliffs and stony screes. The diverse relief and soil cover determine the development of a mosaic of tree, shrub and grass vegetation. At places the screes are covered by mixed broadleaved forests of Quercus cerris, Quercus frainetto and Quercus pubescens, with Mediterranean elements, like Juniperus oxycedrus, Colutea arborescens, etc. There are isolated areas, covered by shrubs of Paliurus spina-christi mixed with Jasminum fruticans and combined with xerothermal grass formations of Mediterranean elements (Bondev 1991). The agricultural lands are located mainly in the high parts of the valley and valley extension itself. The riverbed is sandy-stony and its banks are overgrown with willows Salix spp. and shrubs.
Birds:
The territory of Madzharovo supports 174 bird species, 40 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there, 78 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 6 of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 20 in SPEC 2 and 52 in SPEC 3 as species threatened in Europe. The area is of global importance, as it is a representative biome for the Mediterranean zone. Six biome-restricted species, typical for the Mediterranean zone, out of 9 established in Bulgaria occur there: Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica, Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum, Sub-alpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans, Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala, Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer and Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala. Five globally threatened species occur in the area as summer visitors, migrants or during the winter, and Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni still breeds there. One of the two colonies of Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus in Bulgaria breeds in the area on the cliff banks of Arda River. Madzharovo is one of the most important areas in the country on a European Union scale for the breeding of Black Stork Ciconia nigra, Griffon Vulture and Black Kite Milvus migrans. The area holds one of the most significant on a European scale populations in the country of the Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis, Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana, Olive-tree Warbler and the Black Stork Ciconia nigra. Madzharovo is proposed to be included in the National Ecological Network for conservation of the habitats of a complex of 65 breeding species and 37 summering, migrating and wintering species. The area is rich of rare and threatened plant and animal species listed in the Bulgarian Red Data Book and protected by the national law.
Threats:
Madzharovo is an area sensitive to the human activities related mainly to traditional livestock in the region and the forestry. Forest habitats are threatened by burning and natural fires, afforestation with non-native species, as well as illegal cutting of trees. A decrease in grazing as well as conversion of pastures to arable lands cause loss of grassland habitats for birds. Emigration of people followed by a decrease in domestic animals and also reduction in the dead animals in nature significantly limits the possibilities for vultures to find food. Poaching and use of poison against wolfs directly affect raptors, and especially vultures. Existing electrical power lines are dangerous for raptors, especially for young birds. Direct threats to birds are caused also by rock climbing, gliding, and hang-gliding, taking chicks and eggs from the nests. In the region of the town of Madzharovo the extraction industry was well developed before the democratic changes, which caused destruction of habitats and pollution of the river. Now there is interest in developing the gold extraction industry in the area that could cause further destruction of habitats and pollution of soil and water. There are plans for development of mini hydropower stations at Arda River that will influence significantly the food base for the Black Stork. During recent decades tourism has started to develop more intensively, which could cause negative impact on birds and habitats if the process is not regulated. One of the potential threats both to the habitats and to the birds in the area is the development of wind turbine farms.
Legal protection:
So far, about 7% of the territory of Madzharovo is under legal protection as protected areas. The “Patronka” Protected Area was designated to protect the breeding colony of Griffon Vultures. In 1997 the area was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
