The Natural Potential of Mountains in Bulgaria and Its Sustainable Use - Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe - page 61

cut down, extraction of mineral and other resources. Their identification forms part
of the basis of timely prevention of catastrophic consequences. The degree of change
may be characterized by the stages of relief degradation (Rakovskaya, 1982 )asa
foundation and a factor of landscape, which are in their turn the consequence of the
observed still broader and uncontrolled loading, which neglects the bearing capacity
of the natural environment.
The evaluation of the possibilities for optimizing the use of the resource potential
with a view to its protection is in fact a step towards the realization of sustainability
in the development of the anthropogenic activity. It is manifested in several basic
aspects. Conformity with the law in determining the potential for the needs of the
respective anthropogenic activity and the possible boundaries of its development
should be ranked in first place, so that the use of resources beyond their “purpose”
and with higher intensity than envisaged preliminarily is inadmissible. The moni-
toring system, ensuring adherence to the ecological requirements for maintaining
the ecological equilibrium may be ranked in second place, and the normative reg-
ulations with exactly formulated standards for the degree of loading and alteration,
as well as with strictly formulated sanctions for violations should be ranked in the
third, but not last place. Valuable activities in this respect were carried out in the
course of harmonization of the Bulgarian ecological legislation with the European
documents, but there are still some adverse practices.
5.4 Conclusion
In conclusion it may be pointed out that nature in the Bulgarian mountains is pre-
served to a significant extent in its virgin form not only due to the nature-protection
status of the large national and natural parks and numerous reserves and natural
remarkabilities in almost all mountains but also to the organized activities of large
groups dedicated to the preservation of nature especially within the framework of the
“Natura 2000” international program. The mountains in the border space with neigh-
boring Balkan countries have been relatively unaffected or only slightly affected by
anthropogenic activities due to the guarded regime in the border zones that existed
until recently and the Rhodopes have even been stated to be one of the biggest so-
called “ecological bricks” in Europe (Politische Ökologie, 1990 ). The opening of
our boundary geographic space not only on the Balkan, but also on the European,
and in a certain sense - on the world-wide scale, provides the possibility of reviv-
ing these to a great extent economically underdeveloped peripheral regions of the
country, and respectively of ensuring economic prosperity on the basis of their rich
natural resource potential by cooperation between countries, especially in the tourist
and ecological spheres.
References
Alexiev G, Yordanova M, Mitev Y (2005) Assessment of the relief as a prerequisite for sustainable
development of tourism. Probl Geogr 3-4
Bioclimatic potential of the mountains in Bulgaria (manuscript, a team guided by H. Tishkov)
(1983) Scientific Book-Stock of the Institute of Geography. BAS