The owner of the property near the lake of Durankulak, where trees were cut in April and a colony of 180 pairs of protected cormorants was decimated, Ilko Pavlov is a conservationist and a member of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), states Dobrudzha media group.
BSPB is a member of the coalition “For Nature in Bulgaria” together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Association of Parks in Bulgaria (APB) of Toma Belev, municipal councillor in Sofia. In fact, this shows that the greens and their whole coalition named For Nature in Bulgaria have devastated the cormorants.
This is yet another proof that they are not as interested in nature and bird conservation, as in money, European funds, public tenders and donor programmes. And, of course, the policy that would put power in their hands. Two representatives of the greens are already involved in Sofia’s local government: Toma Belev and their co-chair Vladislav Panev. The latter even proved to be among the richest municipal councillors in the capital.
“I say actions or negligence, because he claims he does not know who entered his property and cut the trees where the cormorant nests were located. If so, why did not he report it?” BSPB ask. The Society is still waiting for the results from the examination of the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW) – Varna and the Forest Agency.
The mayor of Shabla, Mariyan Zhechev, is certain that the owner of the land, Ilko Pavlov, is the person responsible for the disrupted biodiversity.
“No one else is responsible for this evidently illegal action,” said the mayor of Shabla in front of Dobrudzha Media Group.
In 2019 Pavlov bought 3.2 hectares of agricultural land from Shabla Municipality. This is how he became the owner of the property on the coast of Durankulak lake. This property is adjacent to another in the locality of Vaklino village, known as Patarnika. It is also owned by the brothers Ilko and Ivan Pavlov.
Last year, during the conclusion of the contract it became clear that the owners of the two plots had intentions to expand their investment idea for the creation of a botanical garden and a greenhouse with tourist attractions in the pristine area.
An unofficial source informed us that they wanted to build houses for recreation but the mayor of Vaklino village did not agree. In spite of this, there is a project for a resort, but it has not passed the authorization procedures.
On May 8, after a report to the media for felling of trees near the lake of Durankulak, an inspection was initiated and the site was visited by the ecologist of Shabla Municipality, Galya Kamberova, representative of RIEW – Varna and the Executive Forest Agency, represented by the Balchik Forest Division.
The inspection determined that the felling of trees is illegal, because no permission for it has been issued. It was evident that trees on the property in the locality of Vaklino village harbouring cormorant nests were felled and prepared for transportation, Kamberova explained.
Source: Blitz.bg
