State: BlagoevgradArea: 79245,15 ха
Ownership: state - 94%; municipality - 4%; private - 2%;
Description:
Pirin is located in southwestern Bulgaria between the Struma River valley on the west and the Mesta River valley on the east. The area covers the high parts of the Pirin mountain. To the north it is separated from the Rila mountain by the Predel saddle and to the south its territory reaches the Parilska saddle. It includes the whole territory of the Pirin National Park. In morphographic respect the mountain is divided in three shares – northern, middle and southern. The main ridge is directed from the north-west to the south-east and forms the main watershed of the water catchment basins of the Struma and the Mesta. The mountain is characterized by sharp peaks and steep ravine-cut slopes. The oldest rock complexes are the metamorphic granite – gneiss, crystal slates and marbles. About 62% of the area is occupied by palaeozoic and mesozoic granites and granite-like rocks. The limestone and marble-limestone part of the mountain is the richest in endemic plant species. On the territory of the Pirin there 186 lakes, most of which are of glacial origin, located on the bottom of the terraced circus slopes on an altitude of 2,000 – 2,715 m. The prevailing soils are the brown forest soils and the mountain forest soils, with smaller areas of mountain meadow and humus-carbonate soils. Pirin mountain is covered mainly by forests (71%) and high mountain meadows and open areas (10%). The grasslands in the Alpine zone include communities of Sesleria coerulans, Dryas octopelata and Salix reticulata on marble terrains and communities of Carex curvula, Agrostis rupestris, Festuca airoides, etc on silicate terrains, both of which with every diverse composition of plant species. The Sub-Alpine belt is also completely developed, with wide distribution of the formations of Pinus mugo, Juniperus communis nana, Vaccinium uliginosum, Festuca penzesii and Festuca valida. The vegetation in the lakes is represented by Isoetes lacustris, Sparagnum angustifolium, etc. The coniferous forest belt is represented by the formations of Picea abies, Pinus peuce and Pinus sylvestris on silicate terrains and by the formations of Pinus heldreichii and Pinus nigra on marble terrains. The bush formations in the coniferous forest belt are dominated by Juniperus communis nana and Vaccinium myrtillus, and the grassland formations are dominated by Festuca nigrescens, Nardus stricta, etc. The broadleaved forests are dominated by the beech Fagus sylvatica in an altitude 900–1,000 and 1,000–1,600 m. At lower altitude the broadleaved forests are dominated by Quercus dalechampii, Carpinus betulus and Fagus moesiaca. The flora of Pirin mountain includes 2,000 plant species, which is 50% of the total Bulgarian flora species.
Birds:
Pirin is representative site for a complex of birds typical for high mountain grasslands and natural coniferous and beech forests. It supports 129 breeding bird species, 19 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 44 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), one of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 13 in SPEC 2 and 30 in SPEC 3 as species threatened in Europe. The area provides suitable habitats for 31 species, included in Annex 2 of the Biodiversity Act, which need special conservation measures, of which 24 are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. Pirin mountain is a site of global importance as a representative area for the Alpine biome, because of three biome-restricted bird species, typical for that biome, out of four recorder for Bulgaria occur there – Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria, Yellow-billed (Alpine) Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus and Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris. Alpine Accentor is represented here by the endemic subspecies P. c. subalpina. It is among the most valuable areas in the country on the level of EU statistical regions for the Hazel Grouse Bonasa bonasia, the Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum, the Tengmalm`s Owl Aegolius funereus, the Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos, Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus, Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius, White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos and the Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus. The area is also important on a European scale for the Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis, the Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca, the Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, European Robin Erithacus rubecula, the Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus, Song Thrush Turdus philomelos, and the Goldcrest Regulus regulus.
Threats:
Pirin mountain is surrounded of settlements with rapid development of recreation and tourism. It is sensitive to the activities related to forestry and tourism development, especially large scale of building activities. The forest habitats are highly affected by the intensive forestry out of the Pirin National Park, as well as by illegal cutting on all its territory. Big investment project for building of ski complex and supporting facilities in one of the most valuable parts of the Pirin National Park near Bansko during the recent years cause large scale damage of old forests of Pinus heldreichii. New investment projects for other smaller ski complexes exist in the regional plans of most of the settlements around the Pirin mountain. The development of ski tourism is the most serious threat to the both forest and alpine habitats. It is already send that it could cause destruction of large territories of habitats and affect significantly the quality of the habitats in even bigger territories. The general threat to birds is the destruction of habitats. Direct threats to birds are caused by poaching (taking chicks and eggs from the nests, shooting of raptors, owls and grouses), walking out of the marked paths, rock climbing, gliding, hang-gliding and off road traffic of motor vehicles, etc. . One of potential threats both to the habitats and to the birds in the area of Southern Pirin is the development of Wind Turbine Farms. Such Wind Turbine Farms will limit the access of the birds of prey to their hunting territories. They will cause also disturbed movement and direct persecution of birds.
Legal protection:
About half of the territory the proposed SPA is under protection by designation of the Pirin National Park in 1962. The Pirin National Park conserves self-regulating ecosystems with considerable biodiversity, associations and habitats of rare and threatened species. The habitat diversity of the Pirin is exceptional – 72 types (according tot he CORINE classification). Twenty seven of them are included in Annex 1 of the Directive on the conservation of natural habitats of the wild flora and fauna (92/43/ЕЕС) as threatened in Europe. The high-mountain grasslands in the park are among the most important elements of the exemplary complex habitats of the small mammals. In 1983 the National park is recognized by UNESCO as World heritage site. The National park includes two strict reserves – “Bayuvi Dupki-Dgindgiritsa” designated in 1934 and “Yulen”, designated in 1994. The first reserve was designated as Biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1977. Almost all territory of Pirin Mountain is appointed as CORINE Site, in 1998 because of its outstanding European value for rare and threatened habitats, plant and animal species, including birds. In 2005 it was designated also as Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
