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Environmental information systems
Bulgaria, a predominantly mountainous country, covers a terrestrial area of over 110,000km² and has a marine area exceeding 35,000km². It is characterized by plains, as well as the Balkan and Rhodope Mountain ranges, and the Black Sea coastline. The country shares borders with 5 neighbouring nations. The highest peak, Musala, reaches a height of 2,925m. Bulgaria has a population of 6.87 million people, resulting in a population density of 63.9 people per km².
%
of land
is covered
by protected areas
%
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of terrestrial area of is designated as protected areas, falling below the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, surpasses the EU value of 12.1%.
The data sources and related statistics refer to 2023, therefore aligned with the EEA indicators: Designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe, Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in increased by 3.8%, above the EU value increase of 1.8%.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designation and Natura 2000
In the majority of protected areas in the terrestrial environment, accounting for are designated as Natura 2000 sites, indicating their importance in conserving biodiversity and natural habitats. Other protected areas are designated by national laws, representing . In the marine waters of , the protected areas, accounting for , are designated as Natura 2000 sites.
Spatial distribution of protected areas network
Protected areas designated under national laws
Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network
Size distribution of protected areas network
The size distribution of the protected areas network in Bulgaria’s terrestrial environment, aligns with the trend observed in many other EU countries, where the majority of protected areas are smaller than 1km². However, the distribution of protected areas in the marine waters of Bulgaria presents a more heterogeneous picture, with small protected areas (less than 1km2) constituting only 6% of the network.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 15% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 68% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.
Protected species composition by taxonomic group
In , the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 59.8%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 9.9% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 8.2%.
Conservation Status by Taxa
In , the assessment of species groups reveals that arthropods have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 51%. Following closely behind are fish, with 49% of species in good conservation status, and vascular plants with 36.8%. On the other hand, vascular plants exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 10.5%. Molluscs have a high percentage of unknown conservation status, reaching 61.5%, followed by non-vascular plants with 50% of species in unknown conservation status and fish with 49% of species in unknown conservation status.
Habitats protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 39.5% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In only 12.2% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is slightly below the EU average of 14.7%. A significant proportion of assessments, amounting to 79.2%, indicate a poor conservation status, while habitats assessments reporting bad conservation status are 5.32 % , significantly below the EU average of 35.8%.
Protected habitat composition by group
In the group with the biggest number of protected habitats is forests (29.3%), followed by grasslands (19.5%), coastal and salt-tolerant habitats (13%).
Conservation status by group
In the assessment of habitat groups reveals that forests have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 24.6%. Following behind is sclerophyllous scrub, with 20% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, freshwater habitats exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status reaching 25%. A high share of habitats have poor conservation status. The share of rocky habitats, heath and scrub, dunes and coastal habitats in poor conservation status reach 100%.
Bulgaria is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: Agroecosystems, which cover 51.8% of the country, followed by Forest ecosystems occupying 40.7% of the land area. However, Bulgaria has relatively smaller proportions of urban areas (4.6%), heathlands (1.9%), rivers and lakes (0.8%), and wetland ecosystems (0.07%).
The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".
In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 55.9% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 38.4% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Urban areas account for 2.1% of the protected areas, emphasizing the significance of protecting nature within urban environments. Heathlands contribute to 2.2% of the protected areas, while rivers and lakes represent 1.2%, and wetlands comprise 0.2%.