Rare bird species a source of additional subsidies for animal and land farmers in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains

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The subsidy for arable land transformation into pastures, and its subsequent maintenance in areas with a rich biodiversity will be 324 euro per hectare (2.47 acres), announced BSPB experts during the information meetings with agricultural producers from the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, organized by the BSPB.
The meetings marked the launch of new agro-ecological actions for habitat management for the Egyptian vulture, the imperial eagle and the wintering species of geese in accordance with Measure 214 ‘Agro-ecological payments’ of the Rural Development Programme at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, for the period 2007-2013. The local producers took a strong interest in the programme and inquired about a special meeting where they could learn further details about applying to the measure. BSPB experts demonstrated to farmers in Stambolovo, Madjarovo, Kardjali, and Krumovgrad that the Measure 214 agro-ecological actions application procedure is easy. It was highlighted that the action for the Egyptian vulture was intended for people of the region in particular – with a few sites in northern Bulgaria.
The new agro-ecological action allows the arable land transformation in Natura 2000 sites with a presence of imperial eagles and Egyptian vultures into pastures and its subsequent maintenance. For some species of migrating geese the requirement includes sowing under autumn cereals to at least 50% of the whole cultivated area. 24 of the 32 breeding pairs of Egyptian vultures in Bulgaria live in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains and the action is intended mainly for their breeding areas. The requirement that the land of the applicant was arable as of 2011 according to the Agricultural Plots Identification System represents an important condition to prevent pasture ploughing for compensatory payment.
The eligible applicants need to meet 7 basic requirements:
• They need to have at least 0.5 ha (1.23 acres) to be managed over the next 5 years;
• If they do not own the land they have to present a renting contract proving their legal grounds for its use;
• The land/lands need to be located within the areas with a presence of Egyptian vultures or some species of wintering geese in accordance with the specialized layer of lands with habitats of Egyptian vulture, imperial eagle and wintering species of geese;
• The applicants have to sow under grass-cereal mixtures at a minimum of 50 kg/ha no later than 30 September of the first year of their agro-ecological agreement;
• The applicants need to present an invoice for grass-cereal mixtures at a minimum of 50 kg/ha no later than 30 September of the first year of their agro-ecological agreement;
• The land needs to be sown under autumn cereal cultures to at least 50% of its whole area to provide for the wintering species of geese;
• The applicants have to manage the pasture land appropriately by means of pasturing or mowing. They need to submit all the documentation needed in the Agricultural Municipal Service no later than 12 April (deadline for the new agro-ecological actions for this year).
 
The meetings were attended by representatives of State Fund Agriculture who explained the procedure in further details and promised their cooperation to the applicants. The specialized layers with eligible lands are already available at the Agricultural Municipal Service offices.
The concept of Measure 214 and its payments is to create a financial instrument which allows the conservation and sustainable management of areas under protection within the national ecological network Natura 2000: Sakar, Most Arda, Madjarovo, Yazovir Ivaylovgrad, Krumovitsa, Studen Kladenets..
 
In the end of March BSPB organized information meetings with land and animal farmers in many regions in Bulgaria, including one of the regions with best preserved wildlife – the Eastern Rhodope Mountains.
The meetings were organized after a series of preliminary talks of BSPB experts with farmers within the Ensuring a sustainable management of Natura 2000 sites key for the survival of globally threatened species project with the financial support of GEF SGP, as well as the The Return of the Neophron project funded by the LIFE+ Programme of the EU and by the A. G. Leventis Foundation.