Estado: SofiaÁrea: 15808,77 ха
Propiedad: state - 5%; municipality - 22%; private - 73%;
Descripción:
The area is located in southern Bulgaria, between the Vitosha and the Rila mountains. It covers the western part of the Samokov- Palakaria kettle field with the Palakaia river valley. It is directed from the north-west to the south-east. Its western border passes along the slopes of the Vitosha and Verila mountains in the grounds of the village of Yarlovo and follows the filed outlines, reaching east to the Iskar river and the town of Samokov. The kettle field is the bottom of a former freshwater lake, which has existed during the Pliocene. Later in time alluvial deposits from the mountain have accumulated. At present it is a wet kettle field with altitude 950 m. Hills of tectonic origin rise in its middle. Continuous, comparatively mild winter with late snow melting is typical for the area. The main habitats are mesophile grasslands (meadows with low and medium-high grasses, bogs and pastures), arable lands and abandoned agricultural plots. The forests are mixed and coniferous, located mainly on the slopes of the adjacent mountains. A big part of them are artificial plantations.
Aves:
Palakaria supports 104 breeding bird species, 4 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). Of the birds occurring there 37 species are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), 1 of them being listed in category SPEC 1 as globally threatened, 15 in SPEC 2 and 21 in SPEC 3 as species threatened in Europe. The area provides suitable habitats for 15 species, included in Annex 2 of the Biodiversity Act, which need special conservation measures. They are listed also in Annex I of the Birds Directive. The area supports the most dense breeding population of the White Stork Ciconia ciconia in Bulgaria. It is one of the most important sites in the country for this species, as well as for the Corncrake Crex crex and the Quail Coturnix coturnix, which have considerable breeding populations there. The White stork nests in the settlements on the site’s periphery and uses the wet meadows for foraging. The area holds good populations of Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana, Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria, Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus and Red-Backed Shrike Lanius collurio.
Amenazas:
The area is sensitive to the human activities related mainly to the traditional land use, agriculture and water management. The drainage of the wet meadows cause disturbance of the water regime of the area and deterioration of the key habitats for endangered species as the Corncrake and the White Stork. In addition to this conversion of the grasslands into arable land cause complete loss of the key habitat for these species. The maintenance of haymaking and grazing activities are of vital importance for the maintenance of the grasslands. Other activity leading to deterioration of bird habitats is the insufficient waste management. Hunting and poaching are common practice in the area and cause disturbance to birds.
La protección legal:
The area is not protected by the national nature conservation law. About 7% of the territory is is covered by CORINE Site “Palakaria”, which was designated in 1998 because of its 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.
