The illegal route in the protected area of “Pobiti Kamani,” which has destroyed nearly 7 decares of the protected territory, is owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. They deny having leased the land. Given that no control was exercised and the trail existed with the silent acquiescence of the ministry, legal experts say it is responsible for it. The local forestry office, which manages the land, conducted its own inspection and claims there are no violations. The prosecution, however, refuses to disclose details of the investigation—who and under whose unofficial permission or “turning a blind eye” destroyed the protected area.
Sergey’s report
A chain bulldozer ripping through the protected area of “Pobiti Kamani” and cross-country motorcycles riding within the natural landmark—such scenes were witnessed by Sergey Panayotov at the end of last year when he reported the incidents to the police and the Regional Inspectorate on Environment and Water (RIEW) in Varna. The man, who passes by the site almost daily, says that motorcyclists from all over Eastern Bulgaria come here to ride.
The Varna Environmental Inspectorate conducted four inspections—on December 30 and 31 of last year, and on January 2 and 18 of this year—during which they stated that “no violations of the protected area’s regulation were found,” nor were they able to detect “people or motor vehicles.” However, they did observe “disturbed ground surface where a motocross track has been established” and “tracks from heavy-duty tracked machinery.”
The inspection reports, provided under the Law on Access to Public Information, indicate that “an area of about 5-7 decares within the Pobiti Kamani protected area has been disturbed. The natural appearance of the protected territory has been altered.”
Nevertheless, experts familiar with the case note that no geodetic measurements were performed to precisely determine the extent of the damage.
The case has been reported to the Varna District Prosecutor’s Office and the General Directorate of the National Police. Unlike the environmental inspectors, the police encountered motorcyclists during their checks. According to sources, those riding at the time of the inspections were minors, underage, or riding motorcycles without license plates. Because they were on a road outside the national road network, this provided grounds for their temporary release and the absence of formal tickets. They were also not sanctioned for riding within the protected area.
The investigation is focused on locating the excavator operator who dug up the protected territory. The Varna District Prosecutor’s Office, which has immediate jurisdiction over the case, did not permit the disclosure of investigation materials at this early stage.
The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIOSV) in Varna expects to identify the perpetrators so they can be issued fines under the Law on Protected Areas (LPA). According to this law, individuals can be fined from 500 to 5,000 BGN, and legal entities from 1,000 to 10,000 BGN.
Who will be held accountable?
Motocross competitions and training sessions have been held at this track for years. The route is called the “Varna Lomel,” although officially, no such track exists. Information from January 2022 on the official website of “Motocross Bulgaria” states that the track is located about ten kilometers from Varna, near the “Pobiti Kamъni” area in the village of Slynchevo. The soil is sandy, making it an ideal place for winter training. Over the past weekend, competitors from Varna and the region prepared for the new season.
Other posts announcing competitions at this location have been deleted from social media following the start of the investigation.
According to Article 10 of the Law on Protected Areas, land within protected sites is public property. The geodesy agency’s information system states that the land within the Ak-Sakovo municipality is classified as “forest land” with the status of “Other forest-producing land,” owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests — State Forest Enterprises. It is managed by the “State Forest Enterprise — Varna” (DGS).
Following the Law on Access to Public Information, we requested data on lease agreements for the land on which the track is situated and the amounts received into the state budget from such lease relations. The “DGS” — Varna does not possess the requested public information and has no access to its location, as stated in their response. They specify that no lease agreements for lands in the “Pobiti Kamъni” protected area or adjacent territories have been concluded.
Additionally, a check was conducted by the “DGS” — Varna, which showed that “no illegal activity is being conducted on the land where the motocross track is located.” This was announced by the North-East State Enterprise — Shumen, under whose umbrella the State Forest Enterprise — Varna operates.
According to the protected regime of “Pobiti Kamani,” racing events with motor vehicles are prohibited outside the existing roads; motorcycle, ATV, UTV, and buggy traffic are also forbidden outside the designated paths in the non-urbanized areas.
The “noise” stopped the violations
“I went, saw, and couldn’t believe my eyes. Pobiti Kamani are a unique natural formation (yes, and a valuable dune complex, since that fight is ongoing). However, from a nearby village, they’ve decided to make a motocross track on top of them. Well, it’s their land, so why not,” is one of the comments expressing outrage on social media—by former Minister of Environment Julian Popov.
The widespread public reaction following the incident temporarily halted the violations in the “Pobiti Kamani” natural reserve. Sergey Panayotov has not observed any motorcyclists in the area in recent weeks, nor did our team find any during a site visit. However, we did see numerous illegal dumps of household, construction, and agricultural waste at the boundary of the site—waste that was absent a year ago when we filmed about this unique location. Some plastic bottles and moist wipes have been carried inside by the wind among the limestone columns. Complete sofas, armchairs, televisions, sinks, and household items are dumped in the area—likely seen by environmental inspectors during their check of the motocross track, though these incidents are not recorded in official inspection reports.
Exactly a year ago, our team visited “Pobiti Kamani” to report on the numerous illegal dumps on the territory. At that time, we also documented the expanded motocross track near the “Sunny South” group. Not a single institution took active measures or initiated proceedings. Only the Regional History Museum, responsible for collecting entrance fees, issued a media statement claiming there was no environmental pollution in the natural landmark.
Who is responsible for illegal activities at the protected site?
The responsibility is ambiguously spread across at least five institutions. On one side is the owner—the Ministry of Agriculture, through its regional divisions, responsible for managing the territory. On the other side is the Aksakovo Municipality, where “Sunny South” is located and which should include such zones in its development plans. The management of the “Pobiti Kamani” protected area falls under the “Golden Sands” Nature Park Directorate, while environmental control is conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Water via RIEW – Varna. The Regional History Museum handles “marketing,” collecting entry fees.
Developing Pobiti Kamani as a tourist destination naturally involves creating sports tracks, cycling routes, and recreational areas around the site. However, such developments must align with a comprehensive management plan for the entire natural site, say entrepreneurs interested in investing and harnessing the area’s potential. Varna Municipality, as a tourism destination, could also benefit more fully from this site. Since the times of the former mayor of Varna, Kiril Yordanov, the idea of establishing a legal motocross track has been lingering. However, even today, no such facility exists. Without legal options, activities are often carried out illegally—something motorcyclists note as a common practice.
What is “Pobiti Kamani”?
Pobiti Kamani is the first officially designated natural landmark in Bulgaria, announced as early as 1937. At that time, the area was still called Dikili Tash. It is located across four municipalities: Aksakovo, Devnya, Suvorovo, and Beloslav. Pobiti Kamani is one of the sites that Bulgaria proposed for the UNESCO tentative list of World Heritage Sites back in the early 1980s. In 1995, and again in 2002, this territory of 253 hectares was declared a protected area. With a decree issued in December 2020, it was designated as a protected zone under the Law on Biological Diversity. The goal is to preserve and maintain the Pontic-Sarmatian steppes, which are found only in northeastern Bulgaria and partly in Romania within the entire European Union. Efforts are also underway to improve habitats for protected species such as the spiked tortoise and the horned tortoise, the dawn beetle, and the tiger butterfly, all listed as protected species under the Bern Convention and the Law on Biological Diversity.
We will continue to follow the story of Bulgaria’s first natural landmark. Even if the investigation ends with a verdict like “guilty is the one who eats the banitsa, not the one who gives it,” at least civic activity has been partially awakened. Sergey Panayotov claims that he is already receiving calls from various places across the country with similar cases, seeking advice and reporting issues to the authorities.
