EURid partners with Naturefund and EuroNatur to protect the Osogovo Mountain chain

EURid is pleased to announce that it will be joining Naturefund and EuroNatur in their pursuit to protect nature and wildlife in Bulgaria.

The Osogovo Mountains are located at the border between Macedonia and Bulgaria, in the heart of the Balkan Green Belt. About two thirds of 1.537 km² chain is located in Macedonia, while the rest lies in Bulgaria. The outstanding importance of the biodiversity in this area is represented by several endemic, relict and rare plant species in addition to various animal species including birds of prey and large carnivores. The Bulgarian owned portion is included in the European Natura 2000 network, while the entirety of the chain has been declared to be an Important Bird Area (IBA).

The goal of this initiative is to conserve the outstanding biological diversity in the Osogovo Mountain region by supporting sustainable forest management, improving the knowledge about large carnivores in the region to help with the decision making process, and analysing the potential for nature-based tourism to inform a broader audience.

To do this, we plan to work with the local population in the area, as well as install 13 additional cameras to the 9 that are already in place, in order to monitor the status of wildlife in the region and of the forest itself. This will expand the availability of information on species in the Osogovo Mountains and help in the forest management decision making process.