Bulgaria – Great potential for ecotourism?

Bulgaria's ecotourism initiative embraces birds, bears and bees

January 2012. Bulgaria's Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism has reaffirmed its commitment to ecotourism and sees the potential of this tourism product.

It has also thrown its weight behind the European Union's Natura 2000 programme which aims to ensure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats.

320 Special Areas of Conservation
Bulgaria has registered more than 320 Special Areas of Conservation with Natura 2000 which, in total, cover a third of the country. Of these, 114 of the territories are associated with rare birds. Bulgaria is a birdwatcher's paradise with more than 400 different species. It is also home to more than 27,000 species of invertebrate fauna and over 12,000 different types of plant, making it one of the most biodiverse countries in Europe.

Central Balkan National Park
One of the largest protected areas and easily accessible to tourists is the Central Balkan National Park which stretches 85 kms from west to east. More than half the flora and fauna in the country has been identified as existing within the Park including 130 plants and animals listed in the World Red Book of Endangered Species; and 12 species which can be found nowhere else in the world. The Park also features the highest waterfall in the Balkans, the tallest peak in the Balkan Mountains and Bulgaria's deepest precipice cave.

The Park is very popular with hikers, providing an extensive network of walking trails. It also has the largest area of protected beech forest anywhere in Europe.

Wolves and bears
Within 50kms of Sofia, one can find wetlands and the lush, mountainous, forested landscapes of the Rila and Pirin mountains (Rila National Park), which are also inhabited by more than100 species of wild mammals including wolves and brown bears.

The councillor of Bulgaria's Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism, Mrs Alexandra Lang, said: "We see great potential in the ecotourism sector. More and more people are eager to find places where they can relax away from their daily routine, where they can feel at one with nature and observe rare birds and animals and enjoy sights of untouched beauty. This is what Bulgaria can offer."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bulgaria-ecotourism.html

Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town, an official said Monday.

Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said dozens of villagers and experts ensnared the 21-foot (6.4-meter) male crocodile along a creek in Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province after a three-week hunt. It could be one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in recent years, he said, quoting local crocodile experts.

Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July.

He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.

"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Elorde told The Associated Press by telephone. "When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."

After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said.

About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck, he said.

The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan, an impoverished region about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Elorde said.

"It will be the biggest star of the park," Elorde said, adding that villagers were happy that they would be able to turn the dangerous crocodile "from a threat into an asset."

Despite the catch, villagers remain wary because several crocodiles still roam the outskirts of the farming town of about 37,000 people.

They have been told to avoid venturing into marshy areas alone at night, Elorde said.

http://news.yahoo.com/giant-crocodile-captured-alive-philippines-134625838.html