Ropotamo Complex (407)
Bulgaria, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2005
National site name: Complex Ropotamo
Central coordinates: Latitude: 42.3022, Longitude: 27.7520
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 224
Area of KBA (km2): 38.67466
Protected area coverage (%): 99.97
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A river mouth on the Black Sea coast with diverse habitats, including riparian forest of Fraxinus, Ulmus and Crataegus, nearby mountain ridges with broadleaved deciduous forests of Quercus, coastal freshwater marshes, rocky seashore, reedbeds of Phragmites, Typha and Schoenoplectus, sand beaches with dunes and inlets, and a small offshore island. Open fresh water is dominated by Hydrocharis, Nymphaea, and Lemna. Sand-dunes have a cover of grasses and dwarf-shrubs. There is some scrub dominated by Paliurus. Land-uses are confined to the buffer zone and unprotected areas.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: The IBA is important as a breeding site for Ficedula semitorquata, and is also a notable migratory bottleneck site, where a minimum of 10,000 Ciconia ciconia pass overhead each autumn. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Phalacrocorax pygmeus (4 pairs; max. 54 in winter), Aythya nyroca (3 pairs). Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site: Ixobrychus minutus (10-15 pairs).
Delineation rationale: Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach.
Habitats
Land use: forestry (58%) | hunting (40%) | tourism/recreation (7%) | urban/industrial/transport (2%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 71 | |
| Grassland | 2 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 8 | |
| Shrubland | 4 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 8 | |
| Marine Neritic | 8 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main problems are heavy tourist pressure, building encroachment, and changes to the water regime (caused by upstream water-abstraction, and eutrophication of marshes). The management plan for Ropotamo Complex was prepared by the Ministry of Environment under the Bulgarian-Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Programme.