Bulgarian Court Stops Construction Work in National Park
A ruling by the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court has halted
construction work and logging in the Pirin National Park – a victory for
environmentalists over the authorities after a three-year legal battle.
The Bulgarian Supreme Administrative
Court has suspended the implementation of Pirin National Park’s new
management plan, which would have allowed construction in 66 per cent of
the park’s territory and logging in 48 per cent, said campaign group
WWF-Bulgaria.
The court’s decision came after a lawsuit was filed in 2017 against the Ministry of Environment and Water by WWF-Bulgaria and the Association of Parks in Bulgaria. The ruling was made on April 29 but was not widely publicised.
Vesselina Kavrakova, CEO of WWF-Bulgaria, welcomed the decision.
“The final decision of the Supreme Administrative Court marks a milestone for nature conservation and the rule of law in the country – not only because of the final outcome, but also by setting new standards and a new court practice in the field, which will positively impact protected areas and Natura 2000 sites [core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species] in the country in the future,” Kavrakova said in a statement.
Increased construction work in the
area has been a long-term concern for activists as the last three
ministers of ecology, Irina Kostova (2017), the recently imprisoned Neno
Dimov (2017-2020) and Emil Dimitrov (since 2020) all supported the
park’s new management plan and claimed that there was no need for it to
be accompanied by ecological check-ups.The court’s decision came after a lawsuit was filed in 2017 against the Ministry of Environment and Water by WWF-Bulgaria and the Association of Parks in Bulgaria. The ruling was made on April 29 but was not widely publicised.
Vesselina Kavrakova, CEO of WWF-Bulgaria, welcomed the decision.
“The final decision of the Supreme Administrative Court marks a milestone for nature conservation and the rule of law in the country – not only because of the final outcome, but also by setting new standards and a new court practice in the field, which will positively impact protected areas and Natura 2000 sites [core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species] in the country in the future,” Kavrakova said in a statement.
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