SOFIA, June 3, 2002 -- Under consideration is the future of Kresna gorge, one of the most valuable territories of Bulgarian and European biodiversity conservation. The Bern Convention visited last Bulgaria week concerning the possible destruction of the Kresna gorge by a motorway which is planned to be built through it. The mission aimed to estimate a treaty for protected species and habitats and the measures taken by the Bulgarian government to prevent it.

Alarming letters from Bulgarian environmental NGOs brought the attention of the Convention on the conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention). In 2001, the Convention took the decision to conduct a mission concerning the destruction of the Kresna gorge CORINE site by the construction of the Struma Motorway, part of the N4 Trans European Corridor. Since the beginning of the project, Bulgarian environmental NGOs have appealed for alternative route design. "All our attempts to gain protection for the nature of Kresna gorge have met a wall of missunderstanding and unwillingness from the investor. A tremendous lack of transparency and political pressure has accompanied the project development," stated Petko Kovachev from CEIE / CEE Bankwatch Bulgaria.

The organization of the Convention mission was one more demonstration of the unwillingness of the government to look for a possible solution. NGOs were denied access to official meetings with government officials and representatives from the designing company, SPEA. Managing the field visit, the Road Agency and SPEA Company aimed to prove that alternative solutions are unfeasible. Even the Head of the Nature Conservation Department in the Ministry of Environment used every possibility to convince the Mission that the passing of a highway through the strict Reserve and its buffer zone will not cause serious destruction of nature.

In 1999, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment stated that "it is obligatory that alternatives be developed." Commissioner Margot Wallstrom raised a similar position in 2001, as EU funds were involved in the project design. In fact, the possible routes outside the Kresna gorge have never been studded comprehensively. Mr. Todorov, representative of the Road Agency gave a "rational" explanation for the governmental policy during a visit to possible alternative localities. "NGOs could not be a factor. Somebody else takes the decisions in that country. We will not build the route here."

Bulgaria is a comparatively small country, but its natural treasures are extraordinarily diverse. Nature could be one of the main assets for sustainable development of the country."Protection of biodiversity has always been outside of the priorities in the decision making process. We really believe that the Convention position, based on the current mission, could make a change in the governmental approach to nature conservation. Bulgaria is a party to the Bern Convention and should finally start to fulfill its obligations," shared Andrei Kovachev from "Balkani" Wildlife Society.