Abstract
Abstract The effectiveness and efficiency of the Natura 2000 network for the Eurasian Eagle-owl conservation in SE Bulgaria was assessed by comparing data collected during a long-term study on number of breeding pairs and fledglings before and after network establishment. The Natura 2000 network and non-protected areas showed similar values of the calculated indices according to the number of occupied localities. However, the pairs in Natura 2000 sites bred significantly less fledglings after the creation of the network than the pairs in non-protected ones. The Special Protection Areas (SPA) system created specifically for the preservation of birds has the lowest efficiency in respect to Eurasian Eagle-owl protection. Proposals were made after ‘gap analysis’ for real protection and optimization of the protected-area network to increase the stability of the Eurasian Eagle-owl population in the changing environment.
Highlights
The preservation and sustainable use of wildlife in protected areas are among the largely used global practices (Margules & Pressey 2000, Watson et al 2014, Geldmann et al 2019)
The existing National Protected Areas network (NPA) as parks and reserves, and smaller protected areas designated according to the national Protected Areas Act served as base for development of Natura 2000 in Bulgaria and most of them were included in Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)
The effectiveness index of the total protected-area network did not exceed the index for the non-protected area (Table 1)
Summary
The preservation and sustainable use of wildlife in protected areas are among the largely used global practices (Margules & Pressey 2000, Watson et al 2014, Geldmann et al 2019). Bulgaria designated its Natura 2000 network in time of the accession to EU in 2007 and nowadays it covers 34.9% of the territory of the country. Both groups of sites in the network namely Special Protection Areas (SPA) with 23.1% and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) with 30.3% designated, respectively, under the EU Birds Directive and the EU Habitats Directive, largely overlap (website of the Ministry of Environment and Water 2021). The change of the Nature protection legislation in 2002 followed by the creation of national Natura 2000 network in 2007 intend to maintain and restore the conservation status of priority habitats and species
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