members took pictures with officials showing their new certificates.
Photo: Elitsa Grancharova
The 10-the annual PAN Parks meeting took place in the region of Rila National Park, near the town Razlog, southwestern Bulgaria, in the period October 9-12. The reason the conference to be in Bulgaria this year is that the country is the only one with two parks under the Protected Areas Network (PAN).
The two Bulgarian parks are Central Balkan National Park, which joined in 2003, and Rila National Park, which joined in 2005 but received its certificate during this years meeting.
The PAN Parks network was created by WWF to preserve the European biodiversity but since its establishment in 1997 it slightly changed its concept. Now, its main purpose is not only biodiversity preservation but also development of environmentally friendly cultural tourism in the parks from the network, which currently total nine parks.
On October 11 in Katerini Hotel, Razlog, was the official ceremony for awarding certificates to the four parks that joined PAN Parks most recently: Majella Park Italy, Oulanka Park Finland, Paanajarvi park Russia and Rila National Park Bulgaria.
Awarded with certificated for Local PAN Parks Business Partner were also Orlovi Skali guesthouse (Beli Iskur village, Rila), Djambazki guesthouse (Govedartsi village, Rila), Deshka guesthouse (Gorno Graglishte village, Razlog), Zodiak family hotel (Samokov), Tourism Information Centre (Belitsa town, Rila), Perivol horse base (Bachevo village, Razlog), company Balkan Trek (Central Balkan NP) and Damasena resort (Central Balkan NP). These businesses have shown the will to develop only environmentally friendly tourism in their relevant areas.
For the official ceremony deputy minister of environment and water affairs Chavdar Georgiev (pictured third on the left) arrived, State Agency for Tourism deputy chairman Stanislav Novakov (second on the left) and PAN Parks managing board chairman Cees Slager (left).
