Description
The project addresses the challenges to the use and sustainable husbandry of high mountain municipal pastures in Godech Municipality. The project aims at finding joint solutions, improving the legal framework on renting pastures to local cattle-breeders and helping the latter contain shrubbery. First, all the stakeholders (municipality, cattle-breeders, farmers, the media) will be informed about the project. Second, the pastures in Godech will be analyzed. Third, a partner group of 10 experts will be set up. Next, they will select 50 decares to be cleared from unwanted vegetation. The group will also identify 20 volunteers to help with the clearing. Next, all the stakeholders will be trained to recognize weeds from feed for animals. Finally, 50 decares will be cleared from unwanted vegetation. The project will benefit the cattle-breeders, farmers, municipal authorities in Godech and the local community in general.
Summary of project results
Mountain pastures are among the most valuable grass ecosystems for biodiversity and improving the opportunities for livelihood in rural areas. There are many and diverse challenges facing their sustainable husbandry. For the local community, the greatest challenge is the growth of shrubbery on municipal pastures which makes them unfit for use and support. The project aimed at contributing to looking and finding joint solutions to the problems of using municipal pastures in the areas covered by Natura 2000 in Godech Municipality as well as improving the municipal legislative framework for renting out pastures to local stockbreeders and assisting stockbreeders in clearing the rented municipal pastures from the unwanted vegetation. The main project outcome was the setting up of a partnership group with the representatives of all stakeholders, farmers, the municipal administration, NGOs, who discussed together and proposed changes to the legislative framework and agricultural practices for the sustainable use of municipal pastures. The proposed changes were submitted as comments to the amendments of the Ownership and Use of Farmland Act. Some of the proposed changes found their way into the law. In addition, about 60 decares of municipal pastures were cleared from rose hip and 20 decares from juniper. All members of the partnership group expressed their wish to continue working together after the project end. The sustainable practice of the standing partnership group (PG) was created as part of the project. Farmers, local administration, NGOs and STEP worked together in partnership for the sustainable use of municipal pastures. The representatives of the PG held 4 meetings and took part in the final round table. The final meeting of the PG was with representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF), Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW), the Agrarian University in Plovdiv and AREC Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Austria. The recommendations of the PG were submitted to MAF and MEW. The PG will continue to work to develop a long-term vision for the sustainable use of municipal pastures in Natura 2000.
Summary of bilateral results