A holiday home on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast with surf, sand and pristine nature, all for a fraction of the price you'd pay in Spain? A done deal you might think. But a growing number of commercial projects being developed in protected areas should make foreign investors and holidaymakers think twice before investing their money. 

Bulgaria's pristine nature and affordable real estate prices are attracting a growing number of foreign investors - many from Britain, Ireland and other countries - who look to invest or spend their holidays in a prime property along the Black Sea coast or up in the mountains at one of the up-and-coming ski resorts.

But often without knowing much about the destinations beyond an attractive price and the promises contained in promotional materials, many of these buyers are investing in properties that are sometimes constructed illegally, putting their investments and some of Europe's most valuable natural areas at risk.

Breaching the law

The location of the new holiday complex that is being completed near the village of Varvara on the Black Sea coast is nothing but idyllic. The complex is being built in a remote area where the thickly forested Strandja Mountains march almost directly onto the Black Sea. Little wonder that holiday homes have already been snapped up by foreign investors, even before construction is completed.

The problem - unbeknown to investors - is that the holiday complex is being built illegally, in breach of the law. 

"The property is being built within the Strandja Nature Park, without the agreement of the park authorities, nor any environmental impact assessment," said Katerina Rakovska, protected areas officer of WWF's Danube-Carpathian Programme in Bulgaria. 

"The developers have ignored instructions by local authorities. On top of that, the land on which the complex is being built was illegally re-zoned from agricultural to commercial purposes," she said. 

As a result, the Bulgarian Ministry of the Environment and Waters ordered construction work on the project to stop in February 2006, when it was still at a very early stage. The developer ignored the ministry's rule and continued construction while appealing the order in court. In November 2006, the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court finally ruled that the ministry's order is legal and must be followed. 

It is quite possible that the complex may be demolished by the authorities, while the Bulgarian company would be obliged to return the terrain to its pre-construction state. The foreign investors who have purchased flats in the complex - 67 British nationals, 22 Irish, two Belgians and one Indian - will presumably lose their investment. 

"In the process, one of Bulgaria's and Europe's most beautiful natural jewels will sadly have been destroyed," Rakovska lamented.

Nothing is sacred

Unfortunately, the case of development at Strandja is far from unique. Hotels and holiday homes are mushrooming along other parts of Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, many within the territories of other existing protected areas. And the developments are not limited to the coast. 

The most prominent example is the Bansko ski resort, located in Pirin National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site in the country's south-west. Two-thirds of the existing ski facilities built in the ski zone above the town of Bansko have already been constructed within the area of the national park, essentially illegally, without approval from the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters. 

According to WWF, developer have also breached nearly every requirement of the environmental impact assessment but have gotten off the hook by simply paying all fines incurred by the authorities. Currently, UNESCO is considering whether or not to designate Pirin National Park as a world natural heritage in danger. 

Encouraged by such a precedent, two companies recently announced plans to build new ski resorts in Pirin National Park - one above the town of Dobrinishte, close to Bezbog peak (2645m), and the other above the town of Razlog - even though the construction of new sport facilities is banned in the national park.

Similar plans are being made in Rila National Park, the largest national park in Bulgaria, some 100km south of the capital, Sofia. The municipality of Sapareva Banya and other developers have already drafted a master plan for Panichishte-Ezerata-Kabul, which includes a large ski resort above the town of Sapareva Banya. Two-thirds of the resort are planned to be inside the national park, again despite clear laws forbidding such developments within the protected area.

"When it comes to nature protection, nothing in Bulgaria is sacred," said Michael Baltzer, director of WWF's Danube-Carpathian Programme.

From paper to practiceIn Bulgaria, especially when it comes to environmental protection, laws on paper still clearly mean little in practice. Lack of capacity, will or even corruption on the part of authorities and political decision makers are allowing individual interests to ransack Bulgaria's, as well as Europe's, greatest natural treasures. In all too many cases, foreign investors from Great Britain and other countries are silent accomplices.

But this is bound to change. In a few cases, the courts and relevant authorities are beginning to take a firmer line, especially as a growing number of Bulgarians are becoming concerned by the destruction of their country's natural treasures. Cases like the holiday developments at Strandja and Irakli have gained national attention.

And an ongoing campaign - organised by WWF and other environmental groups in Bulgaria - has already collected more than 30 000 signatures for a petition that calls on government authorities to improve the legislative, administrative and judicial conditions needed to stop the destruction of the country's natural heritage.

Bulgaria's accession to the European Union on January 1 2007 should also contribute to improved nature protection in the country, especially as more stringent EU laws on nature conservation, planning and environmental assessments will apply.

"It will take some time before all sites in Bulgaria are designated for inclusion in the EU's Natura 2000 network of specially protected sites," said Vesselina Kavrakova, programme manager at WWF's Danube-Carpathian Programme in Bulgaria.

"But in the meantime, according to EU law, the precautionary principle applies, and all sites meeting the scientific requirements of the network, including areas like Strandja, Pirin, Rila, and many others, must be protected."

Such requirements will certainly be tested by developers, who in Strandja, for example, are currently faced with a three euro million loss of investment.

Sound investment

Investing in Bulgaria still seems to be a bargain. Just browse the internet and you will find a plethora of sites advertising to invest now. 

"The country has much to offer, including many of Europe's last great wilderness areas and rich cultural landscapes," said Baltzer. "It also desperately needs foreign investment, but not the kind that destroys more than it brings." 

In principle, investments in existing protected area or ones that are likely to be included in the EU's Natura 2000 network of specially protected areas should be avoided.

Fortunately, the country still has plenty of other attractive and less controversial areas worth considering.

"Buying real estate or vacationing in Bulgaria can be a good investment," Baltzer added. "But make sure you take a good look at where you put your money. Otherwise, you could be cutting a bad deal, both for your pocket book and the environment."

Andreas Beckmann is deputy director of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, based in Vienna, Austria. Konstantin Ivanov is communications co-ordinator of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, based in Sofia, Bulgaria.