Rila Monastery Nature Park Management Plan - part - usaid

February 2004
3.0 The effect of threats and limitations on the long-term
goals and potential of the protected area
The preceding chapter (2.0. Threats and limitations) contain a detailed account of the
basic impacts of most of the threats and limitations affecting the long-term goals and
potential of the protected area. Still, with a little effort to digest and summarize the
above information, it is possible to identify the following general impacts, which
stand in the way of attaining the long-term (ideal) goals of Rila Monastery Nature
Park.
The lack of interaction among the stakeholders (interested parties), as well as
understaffing and the shortage of material and financial resources will make very
difficult or even call into question the attainment of each of the ideal goals, and
thence, the proper protection and conservation of the religious, natural and culturalhistorical
treasures in the Park and its development as a protected area.
The following threats directly bear upon the conservation of the religious and cultural
heritage in the Park’s territory (Ideal Goals 1.1.1 and 1.1.2): increased tourist pressure
and uneven distribution of the visitor flow; unregulated access of motor vehicles; the
insufficient awareness of tourists as to the rules of behavior and conservation of the
religious and cultural monuments at the Monastery and in the area of the Holy Sites.
Another serious problem is the state of the existing infrastructure in the Park and the
construction work that needs to be carried out in compliance with the applicable
legislation and Detailed Zone Development Plans.
Another set of threats and limitations, both natural and man-made, have an impact on
the conservation of nature components. Poaching, intensive logging and the overuse
of timber; forest fires and pollution of the forests, land and waters within the Park; the
low reproduction rate of certain species and their borderline position within their
respective natural ranges; the overuse of non-timber natural resources; disturbance of
wild animals and other threats compromise the attainment of Ideal Goals 1.2.2; 1.2.3;
1.2.4; 1.3.2; 1.3.3, etc.
The development of sustainable, environmentally sound forms of tourism is seen as
the principal potential source of income for the landowner, and also as the engine for
the economic development of the area as a whole. Obvious threats and limitations like
pollution; unregulated construction; overcrowding with people and motor vehicles;
activities at odds with the religious and spiritual significance of the Monastery; and
insufficient information from and about the Park all inhibit the development of
RMNP and the Monastery itself as an attractive tourist destination. The above listed
threats directly compromise the attainment of Ideal Goals 1.2.1, 1.4.1 and 1.4.2, while
indirectly threatening a number of other ideal goals and the purpose of the Park as a
whole, pursuant to PAA. As more and more people attach importance to the quality of
service, the degree of conservation of nature and the requirements of environmental
protection and the preservation of cultural and, even more so, religious monuments,
the lack of progress and improvement of the hospitality conditions and opportunities
in the Park in this respect is sure to cause a decline in the numbers of visitors and the
potential income they generate.
Rila Monastery Nature Park
Management Plan - Draft
2004 - 2013
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