The Importance of Common Grazing Lands for the Sustainable Management of Natura 2000 Areas in Bulgaria

  • Yanka Kazakova- Mateva European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism / University of National and World Economy
Keywords: common land, GIS, grazing, Natura 2000, sustainable management

Abstract

Common grazing is a traditional practice in Bulgaria. After land restitution in the post-socialist land reform, common grasslands are owned by municipalities or the state and are rented out for grazing to livestock breeders. The introduction of EU CAP area-based payments have led to a series of legal changes in common land regulations so that they are made eligible for support. At the same time, the EU nature conservation legislation requires that Natura 2000 zones are designated in a way that protects all species and habitats of European importance. Due to the historically low-intensity farming practices, it is estimated that the majority of grasslands in Natura 2000 areas in Bulgaria are common grasslands. This paper aims to analyse the available data about regional distribution of common grasslands and to assess their importance for the sustainable management of Natura 2000 zones based on their eligibility for CAP direct payments. The method used is data analysis and GIS spatial representation of both municipal and state common grasslands in Natura 2000 zones across the 28 administrative districts in Bulgaria. Based on the findings of this research work, we demonstrated that common grasslands have an important share in the territorial scope of Natura 2000 sites and can provide substantial financial support for ensuring their sustainable management.
Published
2016-02-15