For Special Protection Areas (SPA),
Proposed Sites for Community Importance (pSCI),
Sites of Community Importance (SCI) and
for Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. SITE IDENTIFICATION
• 2. SITE LOCATION
• 3. ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION
• 4. SITE DESCRIPTION
• 5. SITE PROTECTION STATUS
• 6. SITE MANAGEMENT
• 7. MAP OF THE SITE

1. SITE IDENTIFICATION

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1.1 Type

B

1.2 Site code

BG0000636

1.3 Site name

Niska Rila

1.4 First Compilation date

2018-10

1.5 Update date

No information provided

1.6 Respondent:

Name/Organisation:	Ministry of Environment and Water, “National Nature Protection Service” Directorate
Address:	Sofia  22    Sofia    1000  Kn. Maria Luiza Blvd.
Email:	natura2000@moew.government.bg

1.7 Site indication and designation / classification dates

Date site proposed as SCI:	2019-04
Date site confirmed as SCI:	No information provided
Date site designated as SAC:	No information provided
National legal reference of SAC designation:	No information provided

Explanation(s):

Adopted by Council of Ministers Decision No. 177/03.04.2019 (promulgated SG 29/2019).

2. SITE LOCATION

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2.1 Site-centre location [decimal degrees]:

Longitude:	23.425500
Latitude:	42.261100

2.2 Area [ha]

37191.6700

2.3 Marine area [%]

0.0000

2.4 Sitelength [km] (optional):

No information provided

2.5 Administrative region code and name

NUTS level 2 code	Region Name
BG41	Yugozapaden
BG42	Yuzhen tsentralen

2.6 Biogeographical Region(s)

Alpine

(91.00 %)

Continental

(9.00 %)

3. ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION

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3.1 Habitat types present on the site and assessment for them

No habitat types are reported for the site

3.2 Species referred to in Article 4 of Directive 2009/147/EC and listed in Annex II of Directive 92/43/EEC and site evaluation for them

Species					Population in the site						Site assessment
G	Code	Scientific Name	S	NP	T	Size		Unit	Cat.	D.qual.	A|B|C|D	A|B|C
						Min	Max				Pop.	Con.	Iso.	Glo.
F	1163	Cottus gobio			p	9032	12155	i	C	G	A	A	A	A
M	1354	Ursus arctos			p	5	10	i	C	M	C	B	C	B

• Group: A = Amphibians, B = Birds, F = Fish, I = Invertebrates, M = Mammals, P = Plants, R = Reptiles
• S: in case that the data on species are sensitive and therefore have to be blocked for any public access enter: yes
• NP: in case that a species is no longer present in the site enter: x (optional)
• Type: p = permanent, r = reproducing, c = concentration, w = wintering (for plant and non-migratory species use permanent)
• Unit: i = individuals, p = pairs or other units according to the Standard list of population units and codes in accordance with Article 12 and 17 reporting (see reference portal)
• Abundance categories (Cat.): C = common, R = rare, V = very rare, P = present - to fill if data are deficient (DD) or in addition to population size information
• Data quality: G = 'Good' (e.g. based on surveys); M = 'Moderate' (e.g. based on partial data with some extrapolation); P = 'Poor' (e.g. rough estimation); VP = 'Very poor' (use this category only, if not even a rough estimation of the population size can be made, in this case the fields for population size can remain empty, but the field "Abundance categories" has to be filled in)

3.3 Other important species of flora and fauna (optional)

No information provided

4. SITE DESCRIPTION

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4.1 General site character

Habitat class	% Cover
N06	0.35
N23	0.11
N26	85.82
N27	13.72
Total Habitat Cover	99.99999999999998

Other Site Characteristics

The site covers the lower parts of the Rila Mountain to the borders of Rila National Park (SCI BG0000495 “Rila”) and Rilski Manastir Nature Park (SCI BG0000496 “Rilski manastir”). The area covers extensive forest communities - mainly state-owned old coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests. Municipal forests, as well as open habitats, including mainly high altitude natural grasslands, shrublands, pastures and transitional habitats, are also included in the site. Rock complexes and water areas are poorly represented as a percentage of the area of the site. It also covers the water catchment area of the Iskar river within the municipality of Samokov where a significant population of the European bullhead (Cottus gobio) is registered. This population is geographically separated from the rest of the national population of the species distributed mainly in the rivers on the northern slopes of Stara Planina montain.Areas with mountain climate are covered, where average annual temperatures vary between 5-12 ° C, with a perishable snow cover and precipitation between 800 and 1400 mm/year. The altitude is between 300 and 1800 m. There are rugged mountain slopes with rock complexes with an inclination above 10% and various exhibitions.The site is within the territorial scope of 13 municipalities - Dupnitsa, Sapareva Banya, Samokov, Dolna Banya, Kostenets, Belovo, Simitli, Boboshevo, Blagoevgrad, Razlog, Rila, Yakoruda and Belitsa.

4.2 Quality and importance

The site is of national and European importance for the conservation of habitats of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and the European bullhead (Cottus gobio). It provides protection of the typical habitats of both species and covers territories from the Alpine (91%) and the Continental (9%) biogeographical regions. The site includes bear habitats actually occupied by the species, as well as areas forming a natural ecological corridor with high habitat quality. Territories have high nutritional potential and conditions for undisturbed existence, reproduction and breeding of offspring. The strongly expressed seasonality in the use of nutritional resources by the bear leads to the concentration of a significant number of individuals living mainly in the central areas of Rila Mountain (Rila National Park and Rilski Manastire Nature Park) on the territories included in the SCI “Niska Rila” in the spring, when the high parts of the mountain are still snow-covered, and during the late summer-autumn season, when fruit trees are ripe. The main habitats of the species in the country such as broad-leaved forests in the mountains, the coniferous forests in the high and medium forest belt, including the most important as nutritional potential old forests of first and second bonity are covered. In the lower parts, the habitats include beech-hornbeam and oak forests, mainly on steep and rocky gorges.This site also provides the necessary connectivity of the habitats of the species with the neighboring mountains Verila, Plana, Pirin, Western Rhodopes and includes suitable habitats of the species that play the role of bio-corridors. Appropriate territories are included for the movement of individuals between mountain ranges, providing the necessary resources for food, shelter and resting of the species.The site includes also the Iskar River valley and its tributaries above the town of Samokov, where the European bullhead (Cottus gobio) is actually registered in field surveys with significant relative population size. According to the data available by 2012, the site protects geographically detached population of the species, equal to the size of the rest of the national population of the species occupying the rivers on the northern slopes of the Stara Planina montain.

4.3 Threats, pressures and activities with impacts on the site

The most important impacts and activities with high effect on the site

4.4 Ownership (optional)