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Kamchia

See it on the map Bulgarian properties in Varna Region - Kamchia

The Resort Complex of Kamchia,  is a Black Sea coastal resort on the northern length of the Bulgarian coast. It is located 25km south of the Provincial Centre of Varna in the municipality of Avren and lies north of the mouth of the river Kamchia. It is comprised mainly of "rest bases", which are mini-resorts made up of individual villas and bungalows. There is also a functioning fishing village, and the remains of a military outpost, (now defunct). The resort has a transitional population which only remains for the summer season beginning in May and finishes at the end of September.

 

Kamchia Reserve

The Kamchia Biosphere Reserve,  is a UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve on the northern coastline of Bulgaria, comprising the floodplain at the mouth of the Kamchia River. Consisting largely of alluvial longose groves, (or the Longoz as its also known), but also featuring some of the Black Sea coastline, the area of the protected habitats in the reserve, together with Kamchia Sands Protected Area, totals 1.200 ha. It protects the primeval forest from intensive logging and drainage that had decimated it by mid-20th century and was established in 1951. It is situated 25 km south of the town of Varna and is enclosed by the villages of Staro Oriahovo, Shkorpilovtsi and Bliznatsi.

 

History


The reserve was established in 1951 to protect the remnants of floodplain forests which had once covered a considerably larger area.The biosphere reserve itself was established in 1977, as with all other Biosphere Reserves in Bulgaria. The area has been subject to logging and drainage attempts in the past. The reserve is currently under revision.

 

Geography


The core area of the reserve is 842.1 ha, (with a buffer zone of 230 ha some 764 ha of it is afforested, and the rest 78.1 ha is not afforested, (34.5 ha of meadows, 0.4 ha of channels, 3.3 ha of openings, 21.8 ha of swamps, 9.9 ha of marshlands etc.), the reserve is 40 km in length and reaches 5 km in width in some areas. The "Longoz" forests in the lower course of the river are the best representatives of their kind throughout Europe. Within the reserve there are remnant riverine forests, small freshwater marshes of Phragmites and Typha along the riverbank, arable land (the former Staro-Oryachovo marshes), a beach with sand-dunes, and a sea bay.

 

Fauna


The area is a key site for birds and harbours almost 200 species, 56 of which are considered endangered and are listed under the IUCN Red List. The site is important for wintering Cygnus cygnus and is the most important breeding area in Bulgaria for Dendrocopos medius and Ficedula semitorquata. The locality is also a major migratory bottleneck site, where 60,000 or more white storks pass overhead each autumn. Birds include a small colony of little egrets (Egretta garzetta) and the rare half-collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis semitorquata) Twenty-five fish species have been recorded in the river, seven of which are listed under the IUCN Redlist, including wild common carp , (Cyprinus carpio), Knipowitschia caucasica and the Aral Stickleback, (Pungitius platygaster). Mammals in the biosphere reserve include roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), pine marten (Martes martes) and fox (Vulpes vulpes) There are also many reptiles and amphibians, including European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), tessellated water snake (Natrix tessellata) and alligator lizard (Ophisaurus apodus)
There are twenty-five species of small mammals known to inhabit the reserve, including the European Otter, (Lutra lutra), which is on the European IUCN Red List.

 

 

Flora


The forests are dominated by ash (Fraxinus oxyphylla), Ulmus, oak (Quercus pedunculiflora), Acer and Alnus, with scrub of Crataegus monogyna, Cornus, Paliurus and Ligustrum, and lianas of Clematis, Smilax and Periploca. The lianas, specific for the longoz forests are giving the area an exotic look.
Most of the trees in the forest are more than 150 years old and are 35 m high. Some of them would even reach a height of 50 m!
In the river itself there are many water-lilies and other water plants.

 

 

Environment and Pollution

Most of the pollution in the reserve is associated with the River Kamchia's load and pollutants present there, however it should be noted that that litter from tourists was once a major problem for the local authorities. Mainly this was because there was bridge which allowed people to visit the reserve. It was later destroyed and litter became less of a problem, however since it is still possible to cross the river mouth on to the beach area of the reserve, (see image), the problem has not entirely been resolved. Additionally litter and industrial pollutants are regularly washed up on the shore, much of which either come from the port of Varna or the nearby Resort of Kamchia, (which shares the same beach line).

 

Source: Mirela - Varna office
Pictures:www.isee.com

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