The Over-Development of Bulgarian Skiing Resorts Carries On Regardless

It seems that Bulgarian business is far more important than any National Heritage Organisation including UNESCO. Just like the Black Sea Coast, cramming new businesses developments in to the point of destruction of wonderful nature in the area has no morals attached for the developers. This may be also because it is mainly foreign investment and non-Bulgarian business without a care, which is just as much to blame. The Bulgarian government is feebly unsupportive other than a little façade of words for votes and to give the false impression they care. If they really cared this wouldn't be happening - After all who has the power in Bulgaria? - Mmm!

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee extended one last chance to Bulgaria Monday regarding the Pirin National park. The news was reported 30 NGOs known as Bulgaria’s “For the Nature” Coalition. The park has been the subject of several checkups done by UNESCO, which led to the decision to either halt the construction of ski resorts there or no later then February 2010 include the Park in UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger with all due consequences for the Bulgarian State.

UNESCO’s additional conditions include maintaining and increasing the State subsidies for the Park’s management, State guarantees that local and regional decisions would not contribute to the nature’ further damage, proof that the procedures to evaluate and influence the environment are now and will remain objective in the future.

It became clear during one of the World Heritage Committee meetings that the Bulgarian State as early as the beginning of 2009 had proposed that UNESCO takes out of its List of World Heritage the areas of Bansko, Dobrinishte, and Razlog in the Pirin National Park thus admitting its inability to preserve the mountian, the “For the Nature” Coalition explains, adding they raised alarm for the first time eight years ago when the construction of the ski zone in Bansko began.

Right now, two more ski zones are planned for Pirin – Dobrinishte and Kulinoto, near the town of Razlog, despite the fact that construction was banned by the Act for the Protected Areas and Plan for Management of the National Park Pirin effective until 2013.

Since 2002, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee had held 5 meetings regarding the Pirin issue.

The Park has been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1983.

Source: www.snowmenu.com