Meeting with local caretakers
05.04.2012

On 4^th April 2012 the “Safe Ground for Redbreasts” project team organized a meeting with the project caretakers from Shabla. The goal of the meeting was to inform the participants about the amendments in measure 214 – Agri-environmental Payments, recently adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Foods. These amendments allow the agricultural producers from the region to apply for compensatory payments if they farm lands covering the habitats of wintering geese.


The speakers stressed the BSPB contribution and the long years of efforts for introducing this measure and for reducing the conflict between farmers and wintering geese. In the discussion that followed the caretakers expressed their opinion that the measure is reasonable, the sum of 167 euro/ha is fine and the conditions for sowing 50% autumn cereal crops and for not applying rodenticides are acceptable. The only concern was that the term for applying this year is rather short. How many farmers will manage to uptake the measure as early as this year will become clear very soon. The caretakers’ future activities, like participation in eco celebrations and cleaning natural sites, participation in the Kite Festival and training courses for nature tourist guides, were also discussed and planned.