Additional information can run Underneath if neccessary This project promotes and supports land managers who help us sustain the benefits that we all get from nature The Danube PES: Rusenski Lom pilot Experience exchange: PES in international river basins 02 April, 2012 Nissovo, Bulgaria

` Rusenski Lom Pilot site is: 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Profile of the site Conservation values Located in Northeast of Bulgaria the canyon-like valley of 4 rivers One of the 11 nature parks in Bulgaria - 3,408 ha part of 2 protected areas Important Bird Area – 200 sp a rural area of 23 settlements a site of culture and history an HNVF area PES in international river basins 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Profile of the site Socio-economic features Rural area, 2 municipalities, population 23,565 Living standard below national average Migration of young &educated to the regional centre Main economic activities: agriculture, tourism, fisheries The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom The buffalo-cow herd of a local farmer grazing in Rusenski Lom 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

02 April, 2012 Profile of the site Conservation values 902 plant spec (23% of BG flora) 200 nesting birds 70 mammal spec (76% of BG spec) 6 protected insect spec 22 fish spec 5 protected amphibians +15 The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Chamaecytisus kovacevii (Velen.) Rothm Bulgarian endemic species located only in the north of the Danube plain PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

02 April, 2012 Profile of the site Ecosystems Forests:~80% mainly deciduous mostly of local species 27 tree species, among which Oriental hornbeam (occupying 25% of the afforested areas), Black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia L. (22.3%) and Turkish oak, Quercus cerris (19.4%) Grasslands: ~16% Mostly dry grasslands (14%) Wet meadows The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

02 April, 2012 Profile of the site Provisioning services The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins Ecosystem serviceValue (Euro) Timber Fodder (fresh grass&hay) Herbs, mushrooms and wild fruits 250 Game PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

02 April, 2012 Profile of the site Regulating services The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins Ecosystem serviceValue (Euro) Water purification CO2 sequestrationin process Flood control (pilot estimate)7 500 PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

02 April, 2012 Profile of the site Cultural services The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins Ecosystem serviceValue (Euro) Landscape amenity & Recreation 26,000 PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Profile of the site Users 23,565 rural population urban population (city of Ruse) All of them using: Water for households and irrigation Wood for fuel/ furniture (companies) Grass for animals feed Recreation and rest ~10,000 visitors and guests of the park only (not accounting Ruse visitors) The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Profile of the site Users more than 10 big enterprises which influence the water of the 4 rivers 8 SME in the tourism branch in the rural area 3 specialized tour operators in eco tourism more than 5 local NGOs and tour-operators in the field of tourism ~70 registered agricultural producers 3 fishponds 1 `state forest enterprise 1 state game enterprise The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Profile of the site Developments & pressure The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Abandoned / Intensive use of grasslands Uncontrolled grazing in the park Conversion of grasslands to arable lands Nitric pollution Intensive practices in neighbouring areas Uncontrolled tourism (distrubing wild animals) Tourists walking in big groups – noise Waste management Abandoned / Intensive use of grasslands Uncontrolled grazing in the park Conversion of grasslands to arable lands Uncontrolled tourism 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Ecosystems in Rusenski Lom (protected areas) create values, which protection and maintenance is not adequately addressed with regard to: human resources public/ private financing - conservation activities and capacity building communication to the society communication to the business sector 50% Annual conservation budget of RL = annual cost of just 1 type of conservation activities (transport and guard costs on feeding and protecting the nests of the Egyptian vultures) 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Our strategy Basic settlement The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins Phase I: Focus on cultural values Phase II: Focus on regulating services

Our strategy Phase I: Cultural values The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins Testing the willingness of tourists/ visitors to pay Testing the feasibility to introduce an entrance fee (pilot for Bulgaria) Provide future income for the larger Natura 2000 site Lomovete Easy to communicate Provides the ground for Phase II – prepares both ES providers and beneficiaries

Presentation title can go here Additional information can run Underneath if neccessary Topic can go here Picture titles can go across two lines Linking the users of the natural capital to its conservation Biodiversity responsible tourism Photo: Tzonka Hristova, Rusenski Lom NPD

The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Phase I: Cultural values Environmental targets & conservation measures 4 species: 1 mammal and 3 bird species European ground squirrel Crex Crex (and their habitats), Black Stork and Egyptian vulture Wet meadows and dry grasslands: ~545 ha 3 eco-trails Visitors control trough: maintenance of trails and camping places; Establishment and maintenance of tourist infrastructure – information boards, benches, shelters, bird and other animals watching points Conservation activities of emblematic species: feeding of Egyptian vulture, creation of artificial water bodies, restoration of existing fishponds and fish-stocking for the Black stork, restoration of the ground souslik and Crex crex habitats; Monitoring of the activities and outcomes 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Phase I: Cultural values Conservation regimes & needs Economic activity RegimesExisting funding Investment neededFunding needs AgricultureUse/ restoration of grasslands Grazing practices: 1 ha/ LSA; 0,2 ha/ SMA Ban on fertilizers and pesticides NRDP, Axis II, AEP, N2K payments Incl. training Equipment Maintenance/ restoration of abandoned lands euro TourismSetting fire and camping only in specific places Groups of max 12 people on the trails Decrease the noise to maximum Observation of nests without direct access OPRD, Axis III NRDP, Axis III Equipment Maintenance of tourist trails and marking Development and maintenance of information boards Training of local guides and guards ~ euro 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Phase I: Cultural values Operational framework +15 The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Buyers: tourism operators, individual tourists Biodiversity Conservation Fund Provider: the Directorate/ NGO Accumulation of funds: printed materials % per night % tour-packages Allocation of funds: maintenance of eco-trails marking & info boards Train local guides Conservation activities Monitoring: Ministry of Finance, WWF

Phase I: Cultural values Time frame The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Start-up cost: Purchase of equipment Maintenance of trails and watching points Training of guides/ guards Development and printing of materials Printing of materials Maintenance of trails, watching points & other infrastructure Monitoring of the scheme Conservation activities: conservation of bird species …. Monitoring of the scheme 0 1 …. 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Phase I: Cultural values Environmental and financial monitoring The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom ha of grasslands restored Species and their populations # and distance of eco-trails maintained (area under the scheme) # tourists per year and destination # tourism companies involved Types of measures undertaken and costs # employees by type and cost (incl. guides, guards, monitoring, implementation of measures) Total funds accumulated annually by source & amount 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom ItemValue (EURO)Explanation Equipment840,00Purchased during the first year Printed materials1842,00Post-cards and boards Maintenance of trails5229,50 Trainings-On sustainable tourism Monitoring10562,00It will be implemented by WWF and local Monitoring Committee Management2970,00During the first 2 years it will be implemented by WWF Total value (EURO)21443,50 Phase I: Cultural values Cost of the scheme

The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Phase I: Cultural values Income Average number of tourists per year: ItemValue (EURO) Post cards4845 Bags4407 1% of the annual income from accommodation 634 Total value (EURO) April, 2012PES in international river basins

The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Phase I: Cultural values Implementation scenarios Scenario AAll costs included Scenario B Without the management and monitoring costs-6426 Scenario C Without costs on management, monitoring and guides; Guides are paid by tourist or under social employment programmes April, 2012PES in international river basins

The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Focus: forest ecosystems Funding: carbon financing for forest measures (restoration and protection) Issue: not possible to prove the carbon value because of the protected status (no net change in practices) Possible solution: entirely private set up Potentials: local companies not bound to GHG legislation tourists – voluntary set up Phase II: Regulating services The idea 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

Shorter title Secondary information can go here XX-XX Month, Year Additional information can run Underneath if neccessary Our lessons learnt – Development of schemes requires constant communication – Data available at the moment in Bulgaria does not allow direct calculation of economic benefits – necessary to invest time and money in data collection and analyses – It is necessary to provision multiple sources of income to financially feed the scheme – Carbon markets do not support conservation measures in PAs – Support by national institutions is highly necessary! The Danube PES Project Rusenski Lom 02 April, 2012 PES in international river basins

The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom Thank you 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins

WWF IN SHORT WWF is in over 100 countries, on 5 continents +100 WWF was founded In WWF is in over 100 countries, on 5 continents WWF has over 5 million supporters +5M The Danube PES project Rusenski Lom 02 April, 2012PES in international river basins