Sakar (430)
Bulgaria, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2005
National site name: Sakar
Central coordinates: Latitude: 42.0105, Longitude: 26.3280
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 50 to 850
Area of KBA (km2): 1256.99451
Protected area coverage (%): 99.98
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A rugged region of low, rounded hills and relatively open valleys, with few small villages and a poorly developed network of roads, close to the border with Turkey. There are dry grasslands, Mediterranean shrubland of Paliurus and Jasminum, scattered forests of Mediterranean broadleaved type (mainly Quercus and Carpinus), and some rocky areas. Land-uses are extensive stock-rearing and cultivation, hunting and forestry.
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: One of the most important breeding areas for Buteo rufinus and Picus canus in Bulgaria. Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site: Neophron percnopterus (1 pair), Circaetus gallicus (1 pair), Hippolais olivetorum (min. 3 pairs).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (70%) | forestry (30%) | hunting
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 2 | |
| Shrubland | 10 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 43 | |
| Forest | 30 | |
| Grassland | 15 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main problem is the cutting of mature trees along the rivers. There are large populations of this rodent and of brown hare Lepus europaeus in the area, providing much small-mammal prey for raptors.