The Belasitsa Mountain will be declared Bulgaria's newest natural park in April. Photo by geo.blog.bg
Bulgaria's Belasitsa Mountain located in the southwest corner of the country will be declared a natural park, the regional news website sandanski1.com reported.
The formal ceremony will take place in the town of Petrich in southwest Bulgaria on April 19, and will be followed by a concert.
The ceremony is expected to be attended by the Petrich Mayor, Bulgaria's Minister of Environment and Waters, the Chair of the State Forest Agency, MPs, and representatives of NGOs.
Local eco-activists have stated that a number of working projects and programs for the development of environmental tourism in the region. The Biodiversity Foundation has pledged to work for the restraining of the deforestation and the haphazard construction in the mountain.
Belasitsa is 63 km long and 7-9 km wide. Some 20% of it are located on Bulgarian territory. The rest of the mountain is in Greece (45%), and in Macedonia (35%).