Bulgarian ecologists accuse group of illegal forest fencing

Ecologist Dimitar Kumanov from the Balkanka association and Rosen Raychev, deputy chief of the Executive Forest Agency, have accused a group led by Kalushev of illegally fencing off forest areas and controlling the flow of people. Kumanov stated that the group has effectively assumed the roles of forest guards and rangers, powers that are not legally delegated to private citizens or non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

According to Kumanov, the group from Petrohan has failed to report any actual violations despite claiming to protect the area from intruders. He noted that if a contract for forest protection were signed with Kalushev's NGO, it would set an unprecedented legal precedent in Bulgaria, as NGOs are legally limited to reporting violations rather than exercising regulatory or control functions.

Kumanov also criticized recent attempts to establish cooperation agreements between state and municipal institutions and NGOs, specifically mentioning a proposed agreement between the National Agency for Protected Areas and Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev regarding the protection of Vitosha Nature Park. He characterized such arrangements as illegal and a trend of bypassing environmental laws.