Rila Monastery Nature Park Management Plan - part - usaid

February 2004
Conservation significance
Rila Monastery Nature Park is a protected area having one of the highest degrees of
naturalness, stability, typicality and representative value of ecosystems in Bulgaria.
The Park is among the five most significant active centers of species formation for
plants and invertebrates in the country, numbering six local, 27 Bulgarian and 90
Balkan-endemic species and subspecies of higher plants, as well as two local, 41
Bulgarian and 52 Balkan-endemic species and subspecies of invertebrate organisms.
RMNP is a protected area featuring an exceptionally high concentration of habitats,
communities and species of conservation significance. It is among the territories with
the highest diversity of habitats in Europe: 85 different types of habitats located
within an area of only 0.25% of the territory of Bulgaria; of those, 22 types of habitats
are endangered on a European scale, therefore requiring special protection measures.
The Park is also one of five protected areas in Bulgaria providing the most significant
natural sanctuary to wildlife species that are both rare and sensitive to human
presence, such as bear, Balkan chamois, capercaillie, etc.
Rila Monastery NP constitutes a unique, harmonious unity between the deepest, most
articulated system of mountain valleys in the country, centuries-old forests,
impressive rock massifs, a large number of mountain lakes, plus an extremely
variegated skyline, all that combined into some of the most dramatic, emotionally
charged landscapes in Bulgaria. The territory of the Park is one of the three most
significant mountainous areas in Bulgaria, a natural source and repository of drinking
water, constituting the most significant fresh water source for Southwestern Bulgaria
and parts of the Thracian Plain.
Religious, cultural and historical significance
The Description section also contains descriptions and assessment of the historical
and cultural significance of Rila Monastery situated in Rila Monastery settlement as
well as the Holy Sites in the Nature park around it. The Park is the only place in
Bulgaria, and one among but a few places worldwide, with such an exceptional
harmony of remarkable spiritual and natural values. Rila Monastery is the second
most important Eastern Orthodox religious complex in the Balkans, next to the
monastery cluster on Mount Athos.
In the Park territory and in the approximate vicinity are four other architectural,
artistic and historical monuments of culture of national significance, as well as parts
of the Pilgrims’ Road, which is likewise declared a historical site of national
significance.
Local, regional and national significance in a socioeconomic context
Rila Monastery is the most frequently visited cultural and religious destination in
Bulgaria. At the same time, the Nature Park is the second most widely visited
protected area in the country, welcoming about half a million tourists annually. In the
present Management Plan, tourism is perceived as the largest potential source of
income to the owner of this territory, the local communities and to the Nature Park as
a whole.
Rila Monastery Nature Park
Management Plan Draft
2004 - 2013
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