Rila Monastery Nature Park Management Plan - part - usaid

February 2004
Preamble
The Rila Monastery Nature Park Management Plan regulates and guides the type,
location, timeframe, implementation method, and sequence of activities, which
should and can be performed within the entire Park territory over a ten-year period.
Developed according to the requirements of the Protected Areas Act, it addresses
each of the content areas prescribed by a regulation under the Act. The Plan complies
with the Bulgarian legislation, and the international standards and requirements for
biological diversity conservation and protected area management. An extraordinary
amount of information on nature and on the area’s cultural and historic heritage was
gathered and used in its preparation. Never before has such extensive amount of data
about this area been collected and analyzed in such a complex and comprehensive
manner.
The Protected Areas Act defines the management goals for Bulgaria’s nature parks,
which are embedded in their respective management plans. These goals include
maintaining the diversity of ecosystems, and preserving their biological diversity;
providing opportunities for development of scientific, educational, and recreation
activities; and assuring the sustainable use of renewable natural resources while
preserving the traditional sources of livelihood and enhancing conditions for tourism
development.
Rila Monastery Nature Park is characterized by specific features that distinguish it
from all other protected areas in the country. This uniqueness impacts on the Park’s
management goals, the philosophy and principles of the Management Plan, and also
influences the methods and organization of its implementation. Noteworthy among
these attributes is the fact that the Park’s boundaries encompass some of the most
valuable natural assets in the country, many of which are also significant for the
continent and for the world. The Rila National Park surrounds it from the north, east,
and south, and together with the National Park, it forms the only natural complex of
two large protected areas combined into an integral entity in Bulgaria. According to
the Protected Areas Act, the National Park regimes shall be applied to the Rila
Monastery Nature Park.
The Park is the second most visited protected area in the country with more than half
a million visitors annually. To the people of Bulgaria, Rila Monastery is a cherished
site for prayer and worship. It is also a site on the UNESCO World Cultural and
Natural Heritage Convention list. Few realize, however, that seventy-seven percent
of the park territory is owned by a single private owner – the Bulgarian Orthodox
Church, the country’s largest religious institution.
The Rila Monastery Nature Park Management Plan is a modern and innovative
contribution to the conservation and management of protected areas in Bulgaria and
in Europe. The exceptional significance of the preserved natural and spiritual assets
attracted attention and support by the US Government. Through the United States
Agency for International Development, it rendered financial and technical assistance
for the development of The Rila Monastery Nature Park Management Plan. Thus the
Park is among the first nature parks in the country to obtain its plan. Owing to this
Rila Monastery Nature Park
Management Plan Draft
2004 - 2013
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