The effect of Natura 2000 network on the Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) population in Southeast Bulgaria: implications for conservation

Abstract The effectiveness and efficiency of the N atura 2000 network for the Eurasian Eagle-owl conservation in SE Bulgaria was assessed by comparing data collected during a long-term study on number of breeding pairs and fledglings before and after network establishment. The N atura 2000 network a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ornis Hungarica
Main Authors: Milchev, Boyan, Georgiev, Valeri
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Walter de Gruyter GmbH 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2021-0013
https://www.sciendo.com/pdf/10.2478/orhu-2021-0013
Description
Summary:Abstract The effectiveness and efficiency of the N atura 2000 network for the Eurasian Eagle-owl conservation in SE Bulgaria was assessed by comparing data collected during a long-term study on number of breeding pairs and fledglings before and after network establishment. The N atura 2000 network and non-protected areas showed similar values of the calculated indices according to the number of occupied localities. However, the pairs in N atura 2000 sites bred significantly less fledglings after the creation of the network than the pairs in non-protected ones. The Special Protection Areas (SPA) system created specifically for the preservation of birds has the lowest efficiency in respect to Eurasian Eagle-owl protection. Proposals were made after ‘gap analysis’ for real protection and optimization of the protected-area network to increase the stability of the Eurasian Eagle-owl population in the changing environment.