Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria ranks second in Europe when it comes to forest fires

Photo: BTA

Bulgaria is in second place after Cyprus in the ranking of forest fires in Europe in 2024, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

About 600 forest fires break out in this country every year, affecting nearly 10,000 hectares of land and causing economic losses of about 2.5 million euros. This year will probably be the worst for the Bulgarian forest since the beginning of the new century.

The main causes of forest fires are negligence and arson. In addition, many years of harmful practices in agriculture and electricity distribution have persisted to this day.

"The data highlight the urgent need for comprehensive fire prevention strategies and sustainable forest management to mitigate the ecological challenge," commented Engineer Tihomir Tomanov, Executive Director of the Association of Municipal Forests. According to him, the passive behavior of the authorities and institutions responsible for fighting this phenomenon is also added as a reason for the huge number of forest fires.

"The only investments that are made in this direction are through the European programs for rural areas and for the environment," engineer Tihomir Tomanov adds. According to him, half of the Bulgarian forests fall into the high-risk category for fires.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The Bulgarian Antarctic ship Sts. Cyril and Methodius

PM Glavchev offers guarantees that the expedition to Antarctica is financially secured

At the last moment, when the third expedition of Bulgaria's Antarctic research ship was supposed to leave for Antarctica in November, we received a letter that the money for the ship to return back has been redirected to grain producers. This meant that..

published on 12/21/24 11:08 AM

Bulgarian Foreign Ministry expresses condolences to Croatia over Zagreb school tragedy

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has expressed its heartfelt condolences over the terrible tragedy at the Prečko School in Zagreb.  "Our thoughts are with the people of Croatia," the ministry wrote on the X network.  A child died on December 20, and..

published on 12/21/24 10:34 AM
Prevala mountain pass

Increased traffic on Bulgaria's roads before Christmas, rain and snow expected

Increased traffic is expected on the country's roads during the weekend . During peak hours, 1,500 cars per hour will pass on the highways. A special traffic organization has been introduced on the Hemus highway.  Traffic for heavy trucks through..

published on 12/21/24 10:14 AM