A survey of public opinion conducted by the Bulgarian branch of WWF, the global conservation organisation, and Alpha Research polling agency showed that four out of five Bulgarians supported the efforts of local nature conservation organisations to stop over-construction along the Black Sea side and the mountains.

Three in four Bulgarians did not approve of the construction of new hotels, ski routes and facilities in the protected areas in the Bulgarian mountains of Rila, Pirin, Stara Planina, Vitosha and Rhodopi, WWF Bulgaria said in a statement on October 8, adding that the share of people who did so increased over the past two years.

The survey was conducted between August 27 and September 3, with 990 Bulgarians polled.

Questioned whether the Government was doing enough to protect and manage the Bulgarian forests, 77.3 per cent answered 'no' and 2.8 per cent had a positive answer. Asked whether they considered that the felling of forests near riverbeds would decrease the risk of flooding, 45.5 per cent answered negatively, and 17.1 per cent answered ‘yes’. Flooding rivers became a serious problem in Bulgaria after heavy rainfalls in each of the past three years.

The five main problems of the country according to respondents are the felling of forests, illegal construction, littering with refuse, the over-construction of mountains and the Black Sea, and the lack of enough Government control.

More than the half of the respondents did not approve the exchanges of state forests for private lands, which in a wide array of cases has been carried out to the detriment of the state.

Asked who should finance environmental NGOs, 56.5 per cent of the respondents said the Government, 23.7 per cent said private companies, 23 per cent opted for private foundations, and 16.1 per cent said the funding should come from state foundations.

The least serious threats to Bulgaria's environment were nuclear power stations, quarrying gravel from riverbeds and pollution by the chemical industry.