The information presented during the meeting was focused on the progress of the RDP as of September 10th, 2013 – namely, on the implementation of the measures under Priority Axis 2 of the Rural Development Program, Campaign 2013, as well as on the Xth and the XIth amendments to the RDP.
The first draft of the Rural Development Strategy for the new program period 2014-2020, submitted to the European Commission for comment, was also presented. We appeal to all stakeholders to comment after reading the text here.
The current RDP 2007-2013 includes agri-environmental measures aimed at protecting the habitats of Imperial Eagle and Egyptian Vulture. These measures are also beneficial for another species – the Lesser Kestrel. Moreover, the Lesser Kestrel restoration area in Sakar falls within the scope of the layer eligible for support for the two bird species mentioned above.
The Working Group accepted the proposal made by Green Balkans that payments under agri-environmental measures supporting Imperial Eagle and Egyptian Vulture shall be guaranteed to the amount of commitments to the already approved requests from beneficiaries from previous years, and that it shall not come at the expense of the disbursement of compensations under the crop rotation measure. The proposal is to be subject to the established administrative procedures.
Grasslands are key foraging habitats for many wildlife species, including Lesser Kestrel.
Following Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union and the intensification of agriculture (in particular, the excessive purchase of plowing equipment), a very high percentage of grasslands (pastures, meadows) was destroyed as a result of land plowing.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the lasting reduction of grassland, due to plowing and conversion into farmland or forest areas, currently stands at 4.2% compared to 2009.
The representative of the Green Balkans disagreed with the adoption of the year 2009 as a reference year, instead of 2007 (the year of Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union and the commitment to preserve grasslands). Thus, possible sanctions by the EU may be avoided, but this will also conceal many cases of destroyed grasslands, which leads to underestimation of the negative impact on biodiversity, hence of the necessity of concrete and effective measures.
For further information, please contact:
Simeon Marin,
Fieldwork Coordinator
Lesser Kestrel Recovery, LIFE11 NAT/BG/360
Е-mail : smarin@greenbalkans.org
Mobile: +359 889 223 173
The first draft of the Rural Development Strategy for the new program period 2014-2020, submitted to the European Commission for comment, was also presented. We appeal to all stakeholders to comment after reading the text here.
The current RDP 2007-2013 includes agri-environmental measures aimed at protecting the habitats of Imperial Eagle and Egyptian Vulture. These measures are also beneficial for another species – the Lesser Kestrel. Moreover, the Lesser Kestrel restoration area in Sakar falls within the scope of the layer eligible for support for the two bird species mentioned above.
The Working Group accepted the proposal made by Green Balkans that payments under agri-environmental measures supporting Imperial Eagle and Egyptian Vulture shall be guaranteed to the amount of commitments to the already approved requests from beneficiaries from previous years, and that it shall not come at the expense of the disbursement of compensations under the crop rotation measure. The proposal is to be subject to the established administrative procedures.
Grasslands are key foraging habitats for many wildlife species, including Lesser Kestrel.
Following Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union and the intensification of agriculture (in particular, the excessive purchase of plowing equipment), a very high percentage of grasslands (pastures, meadows) was destroyed as a result of land plowing.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the lasting reduction of grassland, due to plowing and conversion into farmland or forest areas, currently stands at 4.2% compared to 2009.
The representative of the Green Balkans disagreed with the adoption of the year 2009 as a reference year, instead of 2007 (the year of Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union and the commitment to preserve grasslands). Thus, possible sanctions by the EU may be avoided, but this will also conceal many cases of destroyed grasslands, which leads to underestimation of the negative impact on biodiversity, hence of the necessity of concrete and effective measures.
For further information, please contact:
Simeon Marin,
Fieldwork Coordinator
Lesser Kestrel Recovery, LIFE11 NAT/BG/360
Е-mail : smarin@greenbalkans.org
Mobile: +359 889 223 173
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