Dr Tim Stowe is the RSPB’s Director of International Operation and he has been closely following the campaign to protect red-breasted geese at their internationally important wintering site on the Black Sea coast. The RSPB is the UK’s BirdLife International Partner and we have been supporting our colleagues in Bulgaria in this crucial campaign. Here he calls on the Bulgarian authorities to respect international law and protect this vital part of Europe’s natural heritage.
Back in October 2011, league Daniel Pullan reported on yet another windfarm proposal in Bulgaria which had the potential to impact on internationally important birds. This time it was a 90 turbine proposal directly adjacent to one of the most important wintering sites for red-breasted geese in the world, at Durankulak Lake on the Black Sea coast.
Red-breasted geese - a migratory bird for which Bulgaria has international responsibility for their conservation and protection. Picture Daniel Mitev
Despite a totally inadequate environmental impact assessment, this project was waved through by the regional inspectorate, only for its consents to be quashed by the Bulgarian Minister for Environment and Water after the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (our BirdLife partner) campaigned vigorously against it. This victory for common sense seemed to be part of a turning tide in Bulgaria towards proper regulation of development and protection of key nature conservation sites, exemplified by the adoption of the Bulgarian National Renewable Energy Action Plan.
Therefore, we were dismayed to find out this week, that the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court has overturned the Minister’s ruling on a legal technicality, potentially giving the green light for a project likely to displace red-breasts from a significant part of their wintering feeding area with the added potential of direct collision mortality.
This decision is deeply misguided. Overruling the Minister of Environment’s decision when the project is obviously in direct breach of European law does no one any favours. If this project is implemented, there can be no doubt that the European Commission will take the strongest action through the European Court of Justice to require the Bulgarian government to remove the damaging project and make good any damage to red-breasts. This will be an embarrassment to the Bulgarian Government (which is already in trouble with the Commission over previously poorly placed projects), and a damaging indictment of the Bulgarian judiciary.
BSPB and the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water have submitted a final appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court to get this judgement revoked. We strongly encourage the court to find in favour of the appeal, so that the red-breasts will remain free to feed in their key wintering grounds as they have done for centuries.
Red-breasted geese in flight. Picture Daniel Mitev
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