State: Dobrich, SilistraArea: 25769,75 ха
Ownership: state - 51%; municipality - 23%; private - 26%;
Description:
The site covers Suha Reka valley and its adjacent dry riverbeds, cliffs and rocky crests. It is located in Dobrudzha, northe of the town of Dobrich, and covers the section from the village of Karapelit on the south to the village of Kranovo on the north. The river almost entirely disappears in the karst terrain. Between the villages of Efreytor Bakalovo and Brestnitsa it forms a reservoir about 7-8 km long. The hills along the riverbed are overgrown with oak forests, more rarely pure Quercus cerris and more often – mixed forests of Quercus cerris and Carpinus orientalis, at places with the participation of Fraxinus ornus. The open areas around the valley are occupied by agricultural lands and pastures, covered by xerothermal grass associations with the predominance of Dichantium ischaemum, Poa bulbosa, etc. and more rarely – with meso- xerothermal grasses (Bondev 1991). The reservoir is fringed by hygrophytes and its water surface is covered at places by Lemna minor and single spots of Ceratophyllum spp. The rocks and the rocky crests are mainly limestone, with average height about 20 m and numerous niches, cornices and small caves.
Birds:
Suha Reka supports 193 bird species, 58 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 90 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 10 of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 24 in SPEC 2 and 56 in SPEC 3 as species threatened in Europe. The area provides suitable habitats for 72 species, included in Annex 2 of the Biodiversity Act, which need special conservation measures, of which 66 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. The Suha Reka dry riverbed is one of the most important areas in the country for the Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, the Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus, the Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina and the Eagle Owl Bubo bubo, where these species breed in considerable numbers. A complex of species, typical to open and transitional habitats are presented in the area with significant breeding populations as well – the Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana, the Roller Coracias garrulus, the Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla, the Woodlark Lullula arborea, the Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris, the Stone Curlew Burchinus oedicnemus, the Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria, the Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio and the Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor. The Suha Reka is one of the most significant corridors for the migrating birds in Dobrudzha and typical bottleneck migration site for storks and birds of prey on the Via Pontica migration route. More than 37000 storks and 5000 raptors pass through the area every year on autumn migration. Some of the birds continue to Provadiyska River Valley and some of the birds continue to Batova river valley.
Threats:
Suha Reka is surrounded by arable land and is partly isolated from other areas, which hold similar habitats. Because of the settlements situated close to the area, there is an easy access to certain parts of the area. The area is sensitive to human activities which cause disturbance to birds, especially to those which nest on the rocks -- rock climbing, illegal treasure hunting, tourism activities during the breeding season. Hunting activities and poaching also cause disturbance to birds. Cutting activities in the forests, including clear cuts, as well as burning of forests degrade the forest habitats and disturb the birds during the breeding season. The agriculture in the surrounding territories is intensive with use of pesticides, fertilizers, and insecticides and even poison that directly affects birds or their food base. Grassland habitats are threatened by plugging and turning into arable land, as well as by overgrazing. The water regime is disturbed, because of construction of small reservoirs, which are used for irrigation. The water is often polluted by industrial wastewaters of small factories in the region. One of the potential threats both to the habitats and to the birds in the area is the development of wind turbine farms. They will cause disturbed movement and fragmentation of the habitats used by migratory birds. 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 significant mortality of birds and further decline in their populations.
Legal protection:
The national nature conservation law does not protect the territory of Suha Reka in practice. There are only two protected areas, designated to protect the caves, which are very small. In 1997 the area was designated as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. In 1998 the same year it become part of CORINE Site because of its European value for rare and threatened habitats, plant and animal species, including birds. The proposed SPA borders a proposed Special Protection Area in Romania.
