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Nearly 100 hectares of forest land near Petrich is subject to private interests

Photo: Veneta Nikolova

Residents of the village of Kavrakirovo, near Petrich, came out in protest because of a proposal submitted to the municipal council of the municipality of Petrich, which affects nearly 100 ha of forest land. According to the protesters, it is about the construction of a photovoltaic park, which will lead to deforestation, drought in summer and flooding in autumn. 

Speaking to BNT, the villagers noted that the woodland includes over 50 ha of pine plantations, as well as a cork oak forest, which is protected by the Red Book of Endangered Species.

Residents' concerns are that as the vegetation is cleared, temperatures in the village of Kavrakirovo near Petrich which pass 40 degrees in the summer months, will rise even more, and this will lead to waterlessness and drought, the biggest concerns for people here. 

Moreover, if the forest is cut down, the rains will literally flood the village, the people of Kavrakirovo point out. 

After an enquiry by the BNT team, representatives of the Petrich municipality have said that this is private land and the proposal submitted to the municipal council for a vote is not for the construction of a photovoltaic park.



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