Environment and Water Affairs Ministry gave in to pressure from local businesses and decided to decrease the territory that would be included in the European environment network Natura 2000, mediapool.bg said.

The Ministry would exclude the Black Sea coast from Natura 2000. Only 24 per cent of Bulgaria's territory would be protected by the environmental network.

Initially more than 30 per cent of Bulgaria's territory, or 3.42 million hectares, had to be included in Natura 2000.

The environmental network caused controversy from the very beginning because it put against each other environmental and investment interests. All coastal municipalities mayors withstood Natura 2000, medaipool.bg said.

Environment Ministry excluded industrial and urban areas and settlements from the network. Local authorities and residents said that it was a 'restrictive measure' and the inclusion of their land in the protected areas would raise its price, medaiapool.bg said.

At the same time ecologists called for the inclusion of more terrains in the protected areas.