Bulgaria Adopts Its First Nature Protection Law
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Loading... - Afonso Benjamin
- 30 Mar 2023
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On March 16, 1936, a Statutory Ordinance on Nature Conservation was published in the State Gazette of Bulgaria. It provided the foundations for Bulgaria’s environmental protection legislation.
The 1936 Statutory Ordinance formulated categories of protected areas for the first time and set in place various levels of protection. Destroying rare plant species, walking outside designated tourist routes, pollution of the environment, private construction sites were all prohibited in protected territories.
The 1936 law came as a follow-up of earlier acts and initiatives. Public pressure came from the Bulgarian Nature Conservation Society, established in 1928 and uniting several organized groups of sportsmen, botanists, tourists and the Bulgarian Caving Society, among others. The personal interests of the monarch, King Boris III, who was known for his passion for in natural sciences, played some role too.
In 1931 the Upper Eleshnitsa-Silkosiya reserve was established by a government decision. The small piece (only 102.6 ha) of low-laying land in Strandzha mountain (now Strandza Nature Park in southeastern Bulgaria), encompassed part of the Veleka river catchment area. The idea was to protect the evergreen bushes unique for Europe. Read More..
