Just 4% of the forest fires in Bulgaria this summer were caused by natural reasons. All the rest were the result of human action or negligence, says the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Very often fires start in agricultural areas as they seem to be the cheapest way to clean pastures and stubble fields. This is actually the reason of 40 percent of all fires.

It is logical to ask whether irresponsibility and negligence stand behind such incidents or if there were economic reasons too, as fire is also an easy way to turn shrublands into pastures. Vladimir Konstantinov of the National Forest Agency at the Ministry of Agriculture told us more about the problems related to pastures and Bulgarian stock breeding.

"In recent years a decline in livestock breeding has been marked and pastures were abandoned. They became overgrown with trees and shrubs. In order to receive European subsidies owners must make the pastures look like ones. When cleaning is done with unsafe equipment, this often leads to fires," the expert says.

In other countries in southern Europe pastures are well-maintained and despite the fact fires break out in Portugal, Spain and Greece, too, there is a difference in comparison to the situation in Bulgaria.

"The fire is the easiest way for landowners to get rid of unwanted vegetation," says Konstantinov. "They do not realize that this method is neither safe, nor environmentally friendly. There are fines for landowners who intentionally set fire to pastures. They would receive no subsidy from the Agriculture Fund. Some 10 years ago the measure gave good results when stubble fields were concerned. It could also be effective when applied to pastures. Currently, the measure is part of the requirements of the Agriculture Fund. When applications for subsidies arrive, we run checks and landowners who intentionally started fires get fined.”

Use of pastures is encouraged by EU funds, because it prevents the accumulation of flammable material in agricultural areas. Helping small and medium-sized farms is also part of the strategy for growing production of organic food. The desire to absorb EU money not to breed livestock, as well as the lack of clear objectives, set by responsible institutions, are the basic causes of the distortions in Bulgaria leading to disastrous results, such as burning fields.

State institutions like the Agriculture Ministry and the Ministry of Interior have taken the necessary measures to protect forests from fires, the Executive Forest Agency says. However, fires this year have already consumed over 1100 hectares of forests and the middle of August is the time of year when most of the fires occur. According to Mr. Konstantinov, annually some 11,000 hectares of forests in Bulgaria are affected by fires.

English: Alexander Markov