Flora and fauna

Balchik municipality is not very rich in terms of flora. Significant is the forest in Batova River Valley, which is dense. Around the town of Balchik towards Albena Resort and towards Tuzla the forests are small and mainly of the category of protected forests. Near the villages of Bezvoditsa, Senokos and Kranevo there are forest parks.

On the territory of Balchik municipality there are many protected sites and areas under the Protected Areas Act, in particular: Baltata Natural Reserve (maintained) and part of Golden Sands Nature Park. Until 2009 the Valley of Bustards (Dolinata na droplite) had also the status of protected area[1]. The protected area Paeonia Peregrina Habitat (Nahodishte na obiknoven bozhur) received its status in 1984, but it was withdrawn in 2005[2].

Baltata Natural Reserve is located next to Albena Resort and covers an area of 204,7 hectares and buffer zone of 163,4 hectares[3]. The present maintained natural reserve was declared a protected site already in 1961 in order to protect the natural dense forest and the related flora and fauna.

It is certainly unique because in both areas – reserve and buffer zone there are totally 263 species of higher plants of 184 genera and 62 families. Sixteen plant species have conservation value, as seven are listed in the Red Book – three of them are protected and the rest are rare species. Others are protected under international conventions and directives. There are also 116 medicinal plants.

Birds in Baltata are representatives of 183 species, of which 95 species nest in the region. The purple and white heron, black and white stork, grey crane, mallard, spotted eagle, woodpeckers, tits, nightingales, blackcap are of interest to professionals and amateurs[4].

The species diversity of mammals (about 35 species) is represented by insectivores, bats, rodents, carnivores and hoofed. There are: hedgehog, mole, bat, squirrel, rabbit, water rat, nutria, jackal, fox, and otter[5].

A small part of Golden Sands Nature Park lies on the area of Balchik municipality – about 233,3 hectares, located on the territory of the village of Kranevo. The park was declared a protected area in 1943 in order to preserve the plan and animal communities and typical earth formations and landscape that have high scientific and cultural value.

In Golden Sands Nature Park you can find Oriental Hornbeam, Turkey oak or Austrian oak (Quercus cerris), Hungarian oak or Italian oak (Quercus frainetto), white oak (Quercus pubescens), manna ash (Fraxinus ornus) and others. Of particular interest are field ash, field elm, summer oak, white popolar, black alder, Smilax excelsa, Periploca graeca and others. Habitats of more than 150 species of medicinal plants are also found. The representatives of fauna are 621 species of invertebrates, 11 species of reptiles, 122 bird species, of which 46 constantly nesting, 40 migratory, predatory, etc., 27 species of small mammals, 14 species of large mammals and bats[6].

In the coastal areas of the municipality many territories have fallen under the scope of protected areas of the European ecological network Natura 2000. As such are identified: Balchik protected area, part of Golden Sands protected area, part of White Rocks protected area, part of Batova River Valley protected area, part of Complex Kaliakra protected area, and part of Coastal Dobrudzha protected area.

[1]With an area of 3 620,0 ha, it covers parts of the villages of Dropla, Zmeevo and Kremena.

[2]The natural sight Paeonia Peregrina Habitat (Nahodishte na obikoven bozhur) on land of the villages of Tsarkva and Batovo, Balchik municipality, declared by order No: 448/25.IV.1984 of the Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Protection at the Council of Ministers, with a total area of 46,3 ha, registered in the State Register of Protected Areas under No: 454, was deleted from the register of protected areas.

[3]Located on land of the village of Obrichishte.

[4]http://albena.bg/bg/pages/albena-park-baltata.html.

[5]Quoted source.

[6]http://bulgariatravel.org/bg/object/290/park_Zlatni_pyasaci.