Bulgaria's Environment and Water Minister Julian Popov has issued an order designating 14 protected areas for the preservation of natural habitats and wild flora and fauna, as reported on the Environment Ministry's website on Friday.

The areas are the rivers Kamchia, Stara Reka, Banska, Kayaliyka, Blatnitsa, Martinka, Omurovska Reka, Pyasachnik, Golyama Kamchia, Skat, Tsibritsa, Chernata Mogila, Blyagornitsa and Stranzha. Changes and additions are made to the orders for the designation of Shkorpilovtsi and Galata beach protected areas.

Different types of natural habitats under the Biodiversity Act are subject to protection in designated areas. Protected areas were declared for the purpose of protection and maintenance of natural habitat types, species, their populations and distribution within the boundaries of the areas, in order to achieve and maintain their favorable conservation status in the relevant biogeographical region.

The order defining each of the protected areas includes specific prohibitions on certain activities. They will be announced in the State Gazette and then published in the Natura 2000 Information System for Protected Areas at https://natura2000.egov.bg/.

The areas in question are:

• Kamchia River Protected Area BG0000141 has an area of ​​1.593.633 square meters and is located in Varna District, on the Black Sea.

• Protected area BG0000279 Stara Reka has an area of ​​3.348.057 m2 and is located in Targovishte district, North-Eastern Bulgaria.

• Protected area BG0000434 Banska River has an area of ​​807.163 m2 and is located in the district of Haskovo, Southern Bulgaria.

• Kayaliyka River Protected Area BG0000435 has an area of ​​736.696 m2 and is located in Plovdiv District, South Central Bulgaria.

• Protected Area BG0000441 Blatnitsa River has an area of ​​10.239.615 m2 and is located in Stara Zagora District, South Central Bulgaria.

• Protected area BG0000442 Martinka River has an area of ​​7.396.641 m2 and is located in the district of Haskovo, Southern Bulgaria.

• Protected area BG0000443 Omurovska Reka has an area of ​​8.191.050 m2 and is located in Plovdiv District, South Central Bulgaria.

• Protected Area BG0000444 Pyasachnik River has an area of ​​14.127.484 m2 and is located in Plovdiv District, South Central Bulgaria.

• Protected area BG0000501 Golyama Kamchia river has an area of ​​5.881.655 m2 and is located in Shumen district, North-Eastern Bulgaria.

• Protected area BG0000508 Skat River has an area of ​​3.994.963 m2 and is located in Vratsa district, Northwestern Bulgaria.

• Protected area BG0000509 Tsibritsa has an area of ​​8.876.088 m2 and is located in Montana district, Northwestern Bulgaria.

• Protected area BG0000516 Chernata Mogila has an area of ​​116.624 m2 and is located in Veliko Tarnovo District, North Central Bulgaria.

• Protected Area BG0000612 Blyagornitsa River has an area of ​​15.567.181 m2 and is located in Sliven District, South-Eastern Bulgaria.

• The protected area BG0001007 Stranzha has an area of ​​1.535.296.143 m2 and is located in Burgas District, on the Black Sea.

• Protected area BG0000100 Shkorpilovtsi beach has an area of ​​64.569.967 m2 and is located in Varna district, on the Black Sea.

• The protected area BG0000103 Galata has an area of ​​38.535.655 square meters and is located in the Varna district, on the Black Sea. /BTA