BSPB organizes meetings with farmers

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The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds organized meetings with farmers in Svilengrad, Topolovgrad, Stambolovo, Madjarovo, Kardjali, Krumovgrad, and Yambol, 20-23 March 2012. During the meetings they discussed possibilities for funding in accordance with the new agro-ecological actions of Measure 214 ‘Agro-ecological payments’ within the Rural Development Programme at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, for the period 2007-2013 for farmers in Natura 2000 sites.
The BSPB experts presented the state of the Egyptian vulture and the imperial eagle in the fore-mentioned regions, as well as the requirements and possibilities for applicants for the new agro-ecological actions of Measure 214 ‘Agro-ecological payments of the RDP.
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. During the meetings the experts presented practical possibilities for the conservation and sustainable management of protected areas within the national ecological network Natura 2000: Sakar, Most Arda, Madjarovo, Yazovir Ivaylovgrad etc.
Many of the farmers with land in Natura 2000 areas, or in the so called ‘Important Bird Areas’ were not familiar with the possibilities for business, financial support, or compensations from the EU. At the meetings the BSPB experts were met enthusiastically by farmers interested in the possibilities for compensations in accordance with Measure 214 ‘Agro-ecological payments’ of Axis 2 of the Rural Development Programme.
In Topolovgrad, Svilengrad and Yambol the BSPB experts presented the state of the imperial eagle, as well as the requirements and possibilities for applicants for the new agro-ecological actions of Measure 214 ‘Agro-ecological payments’ of the RDP. Invitations for participation in the meetings were sent out to representatives of Regional Directorate ‘Agriculture’, Municipal Agricultural Services, Technical Inspectorate at the Regional Directorate of State Fund Agriculture – Yambol and Haskovo, Regional Service for Agricultural Counseling.
For further information:
Edita Difova
BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria
Agro-ecology expert
edita.difova@bspb.org