PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Pomorie Lake is part of the most valuable wetland complex along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It has great EU importance as a rare ecosystem type and as a place where 40% of all European bird species can be observed. The extraction of sea salt in Pomorie Lake has been practiced for millennia, and nowadays active salinas produce sea salt by solar evaporation. The lake (760 ha) is protected under Natura 2000 as a site of Community interest (SCI) and a special protection area (SPA), BG0000620 Pomorie (2085.15 ha) and BG0000152 Pomoriysko ezero (921.52 ha) respectively. It is a national protected area as well as a Ramsar site.
The project targeted the conservation of the priority habitat coastal lagoons (1150*) and a group of bird species listed in Annex 1 of the Birds Directive (avocet, little, sandwich and common terns). The Pomorie SCI is the second most representative site of priority habitat coastal lagoons in Bulgaria and the third most representative site within the EU Black Sea Biogeographical Region (BSBR). The habitat 1150* covers 665.77 ha (31.9% of the SCI) and represents 25.7% of the coverage of this habitat in the Bulgarian part of the BSBR. The conservation status of 1150* in Bulgaria is unfavourable-inadequate (Report under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, 2013-2018), same as at the BSBR. The habitat 1530* (Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes) represents 2.21% of the SCI area, but it is important for the main ecosystem services of the SCI and together with 1150*accounts for 34% of the priority habitats for conservation.
SPA Pomorie Lake supports 270 bird species, of which 91 are of European conservation concern (SPEC) (BirdLife International, 2004), seven of them are listed in category SPEC1 as globally threatened, 21 in SPEC2 and 63 in SPEC3 as species threatened in Europe. It is one of Bulgarias most important breeding sites for the targeted birds. Artificial islands in the lake attract rare breeders like Mediterranean and slender-billed gulls and gull-billed terns. The hydrological regime of Pomorie salinas is defined by the inflow of seawater by an artificial open channel connecting the lake with the Black Sea and intrusion via sand spit. Two bypass channels (a southern one 760 m long and a northern stretching 4580 m) collect all the surface water flow from rainfall and snow melting in the catchment area of 33.55 km2 where the lake is at its lowest point. Changes in the conditions of the water bodies and pollution to surface waters are reported as the most significant threats for coastal lagoon habitat in several European countries (EIONET, 2014). In the case of Pomorie Lake, these pressures are most evident for habitat 1150*. The key conservation problems are degradation of coastal lagoons habitat due to changes in the hydrological conditions caused by the destruction of water management facilities and insufficient safe breeding sites for priority bird species.
OBJECTIVES
The key nature protection objectives of the LIFE FOR POMORIE LAGOON project were to:
- Establish a functional infrastructure for water management in Pomorie Lake to secure the lagoon against flood and limit the pollution, and to sustain traditional salt production;
- Provide long-term improvement of priority habitat 1150* coastal lagoon in SCI Pomorie;
- Improve the breeding sites for priority bird species by constructing a wooden platform and restoring the existing islet; and
- Promote the project results among the stakeholders and the wider public.
RESULTS
The project did not achieve its expected results fully in particular the improvement of the habitat conditions, due to external factors. However, all results related to restoration were achieved as follows:
- Cleaning a total of 5,340 meters of bypass channel and restoration of 6,460 meters of dykes.
- Establishment of 460 square meters of breeding habitat for birds (platforms and islet).
- Increased breeding of target species, notably Annex I species (Sterna hirundo, Sternula albifrons, Charadrius alexandrinus, Recurvirostra avosetta and Himantopus himantopus)
All project actions were implemented according to plan and all deliverables produced. Generally, the project has reached the objectives of the actions, but the overall project success and expected conservation benefits were negatively affected by the construction of a near-by bypass road, which destroyed part of the drainage channel to the lake. As a result of this destruction, the collected freshwater flows directly into the lake, thus directly affecting its salinity, and increasing the water level. Both aspects have deteriorated the conservation status of the lake, its habitat and species.
The beneficiary has approached all relevant regional and national institutions to remediate to this situation but no action was taken before the project end.
