“We don’t want Maslen nos to become a maintained reserve!” This is the firm opinion of the mayors of Primorsko Ivan Gaikov, Sozopol Tihomir Yanakiev, Tsarevo Marin Kirov, Kiten and Lozenets, as well as all fishermen and citizens from the three municipalities. who attended today a meeting with Greenpeace representatives who presented the idea in Primorsko.
The representatives of the eco-organization announced that they had published the proposal online, which will be presented to the Ministry of Education and Culture, but at the meeting it became clear that the administration of none of the municipalities that will be affected by it is not familiar with this document. Instead, attendees were given a sheet with very limited information and a map of the offshore territory that would fall within the future reserve.
In the packed hall, the mayors expressed with arguments why such a decision would harm local communities, fisheries, the economy and tourism. How restricting coastal activities will deprive municipalities of serious income and fishermen even of livelihood.
The mayors also explained that the three municipalities are currently doing everything possible to protect the biodiversity and cleanliness of the Black Sea. The fishermen also ensured that they abide by the bans and limit their fishing.
The Mayor of the Municipality of Sozopol, Tihomir Yanakiev, asked how and by what criteria exactly this territory was determined and what were the other areas in the Black Sea that were discussed. He specified that the reserve partially includes areas from Sozopol and Tsarevo, and the entire Southern Black Sea Coast will be affected. According to Mayor Yanakiev, such decisions are made not only on the basis of ecological assessments, but economic analyzes must also be taken into account, which will show how this will affect the local population. Everyone present here wants to preserve nature and is not its enemy, he said.
The mayors said in plain text: “Our citizens do not want this.” After, despite the general displeasure emotionally expressed in the hall, the citizens and mayors were not heard, those present interrupted the meeting and left the hall.
The question remained as to what kind of document Greenpeace would submit to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and how the negative opinion of local authorities and citizens would be reflected.
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