SILISTAR PROTECTED AREA
Silistaris the southernmost protected area on the Black Sea coast. It is located between the villages of Sinemorets and Rezovo. It stretches to the south of the mouth of the small river Butamyata, which flows into the sea at the homonymous southern beach of Sinemorets and reaches almost to the village of Rezovo.
- beach in Silistar bay at the mouth of Silistar river – 42° 01'21 .00 "N, 28 ° 00'35 .10" E 1 m above sea level
- beach in Lipite bay – 42° 02'50 .88 "N, 27 ° 59'28 .21" E 5 m above sea level
Preservation
SILISTAR (Code in the register: 106)
Category: Protected area
Size: 773.3 hectares
Location:
District: Burgas, Municipality, Tzarevo, Town/Village: Village of Rezovo, village of Sinemoretz
Documents declaring it a protected area: Order №608 of 01.09.1992
Documents for changes:
1. A change of the mode of activities by Order №RD 207 of 11.06.1999
2. A change of the mode of activities by Order №RD 560 of 12.07.2007
Purposes for declaring it a protected area:
1. Preservation of the typical landscape of the coastal zone, the rock formations, and fiords.
2. Specific xerothermic vegetation and abundant fauna;
Mode of activities:
1. Prohibited: Industrial and residential construction, mining and geological surveys, construction of new roads, opening mines and quarries, extraction of aggregates from rivers and coastal sands;
2. Prohibited: pollution with domestic, industrial and other waste;
3. Prohibited: access to caves in the sea cliff;
4. Prohibited: access of motor vehicles except those used for for forestry and agricultural activities;
5. Prohibited: sailing of any vessels on Veleka River between September 15 and June 15, and between June 15 and September 15 sailing of any vessels except for organized boat trips in the section between the river mouth and the site of Tzarskoto kladenche under the following conditions: maximum number of boats sailing on the route must be 4, the speed of the boats must not exceed 4 knots; the river must not be polluted with fuels, oils and other waste.
6. Prohibited: designation of sites for camping and campfires without the written consent of the regional structures of the Ministry of Environment and Water without marking the location of these places with permanent and visible signs, any camping and campfires outside the locations designated and marked for that purpose according to the regulations;
7. Prohibited: picking, damaging or destroying of wild plants with the exception of planned felling of trees and collection of herbs by the local population in quantities intended for personal use;
8. Prohibited: felling of trees between March 30 and September 1, afforestation with alien trees, carrying out clear felling and reconstructions, staring new dirt roads roads, felling of live hollow trees, and trees with nests with a diameter of over 0.5 m, removing wood except by pack animals;
9. Prohibited: hunting, except: hare – during the hunting season and in agricultural lands; wild boar, red deer, fox and jackal - from 1 October to 31 December, deer – from 1 October to 30 November, snipe – from 1 January to 28 February with a special permit for hunting from Tsarevo City Council, and complying with the regulations of the hunting development project;
10. Prohibited: fishing except sport fishing in the area where Veleka river flows into the sea to the bridge at the village of Sinemorets of the allowed for fishing types of fish except eel and carp, under the conditions, rules, methods, standards and deadlines set by the law;
11. Prohibited: chasing, gathering, catching and killing all wild animals which cannot be hunted according to this order, regardless of their condition or stage of development; setting up game fields and any equipment for feeding animals and hunting;
12. Prohibited: grazing of livestock;
13. Prohibited: plowing of grassland, cutting reed between March 1 and July 31, using phosphorus-containing pesticides, using motor pumps for irrigation of agricultural lands;
14. Prohibited: searching for objects of archaeological value except when this activity is organized in accordance with the regulations.
Overlap: (partial or complete)
1. Natural park: STRANDJA
2. ЗЗ from the Birds Directive: Strandja
Area Descriptions
The size of Silistar is 773 ha and it is located on the territory of Natural Park Strandja. It is a coastal wetland with an indented rocky shore. The name of the area comes from the name of a small river which flows into the Black Sea.
Here are the largest surviving Pontic white dunes along our coast.
The southernmost community in Bulgaria of sand lilies can be found in Silistar bay. Lipite Bay, part of the protected area, consists of a curved sandy area which is immediately connected with the forest. The beach is famous as one of the beautiful wild places on the Black Sea coast.
In one of the deepest fjords, located in the northern part of Silistar, there is an abundance of geranium and other typical forest species such as maidenhair spleenwort. Typical of the protected area are species such as sea holly, fig and sea lavender. In the higher parts of the area you can see campion, jurinea tzar-ferdinandii and German knotweed.
Eighteen species of the fish recorded in the protected area inhabit the coastal waters. Of these the sea eel, Rezovski shad, and pearl mullet are included in the Red Book of Bulgaria.
Together with Mouth of Veleka River Protected Area, Silistar Protected Area is listed among the most important wetlands in Bulgaria, with a significant importance for the preservation of water birds.
This is a favourite place for people who love wildlife and quiet and peaceful beaches. Most often people visit the beaches in Silistar and Lipite bays.
The mouth of Silistar River can be reached on foot and it takes about 3 hours if you start south of Butamyata bay near Sinemorets and go along the Black Sea coast.
References
Archive:BSBCP/BBF
Tourist Guidebook – Natural Park Strandja, Published by the Directorate of Natural Park Strandja, 2007.
Register of protected areas and protected zones in Bulgaria, Ministry of Environment and Water
