What are ecosystem services and are they applicable in Bulgaria?According to the Forest Act, Chapter Seventeen, public ecosystem services from forest areas are the result of specialized management activities.These are:
1. protection against soil erosion from avalanches and floods;
2. ensuring the quantity and quality of water;
3. maintaining biodiversity;
4. shielding, absorbing noise and pollutants, maintaining amicroclimate;
5. providing conditions for recreation and tourism;
6. maintaining the traditional landscape;
7. protecting the natural and cultural heritage;
8. protecting infrastructure sites and facilities;
9. slowing down and regulating the impacts of climate change.
The current Forest Act has been in force since 2011 and according to this Act and specifically Art. 249 para. (1) Public ecosystem services are recoverable. The regional forest development plans define territories and zones in which the use of ecosystem services is recoverable and the types of economic activity for which payment for public ecosystem benefits is due.More than a decade after the entry into force of the Forest Act, the regulation thus adopted remains only on paper.The functioning of such a mechanism would be an additional incentive for forest managers to perform their work conscientiously. Every forest owner should be proud of their work and the benefits they provide to society.In many European countries, the provision of ecosystem services by forests is valued by society and their managers are given their due.A forest provides ecosystem services for decades to the benefit of society before the owner receives financial benefits.Another incentive to stimulate forest owners would be the trading of carbon credits. A completely new mechanism for us has gained momentum in the last 20 years in different parts of the globe. In our country, this type of activity in forests is still lagging behind.The goal is to capture carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable forestry practices, thus generating valuable carbon credits.The policy for carbon credits in the field of forests can be divided into two directions:- Creating new forests and thus capturing carbon;- Managing already created forests in a way close to natural processes in forests.In Bulgaria, carbon credits are still applied only in agriculture. In forests, they are expected to start.SMURF project website https://www.smurfproject.eu/.Funded by EU #smurfproject #SmallForestHoldings #forestry #forestowners #profitability #smallforestowners #foresteufuture #forestmanagement #sustainability #forestnews #cascadefunding #closetonaturesilviculture
