WELCOME to the Bulgarian National Parks official website! This site provides an opportunity to contact the National Park Directorates, as well as up-to-date news and additional information.

Bulgaria has three National Parks – Pirin, Rila and Central Balkan. They have a total area of 193,049 hectares and comprise more than one-third of all protected areas in Bulgaria. The National Parks belong to the state. They are public property. They are managed and administered by Directorates, operating under the Ministry of Environment and Waters.

Pirin, Rila and Central Balkan are among the largest and most valuable protected areas in Europe. They contain some of Europe’s remaining, extant, wild regions. Identified as Category II protected areas by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Parks are managed in accordance with the latest conservation principles and approaches. The Management Plans for Rila and Central Balkan are the first modern conservation management documents of their kind in the Balkans.

National Parks and Reserves

Worldwide, national parks are generally designated to preserve representative natural features, wildlife and habitats of the country. Their designation is intended to preserve natural processes generally free from human manipulation. Parks are refuges for many rare plants and animals of national and global significance. In Bulgarian national parks, unique samples of natural habitats and elements of ecosystems are preserved within reserves. These strictly protected areas are often buffered by additional territory of the national parks.

The Bulgarian National Parks offer excellent opportunities for tourism, scientific research and education. Of special importance to Bulgaria are the wide varieties of renewable resources that provide livelihood and cultural value for people living in close proximity. There are also vital links between sustainable non-timber resource harvesting and economic development opportunities for the country.

The National Parks also include rivers, lakes, natural landmarks, waterfalls, and exceptional landscapes. The National Parks are among the government’s most important tools for natural resource husbandry of land, water and air resources, as well as wildlife. They are a source of prosperity for the local people, and a source of national social and economic welfare.

Support

Conserving the natural wealth of the National Parks can only be accomplished with the support and involvement of visitors and those communities that live in the vicinity. Thus Parks have partnerships with the local communities and non-governmental organizations.

National Parks are also a source of national pride. They need public support. The natural biodiversity of Bulgaria is so important to the nation, Eastern Europe and the world, that is has regularly received the attention and support of the international community, particularly assistance provided between the Government of Bulgaria and the U.S. and Swiss governments.

The site is developed with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).