Bulgarian village fighting to protect crucial forest from solar park

Thirty hectares of forest are at stake with a solar power project in the southwestern corner of Bulgaria. Residents of Starchevo and activists gathered outside the Petrich Municipality building after a court decision in favor of the investor. They argue that the forest was planted for protection from flooding and that the area is one of the hottest in the country. The protesters also warn that deforestation would imperil the ecosystem.

Starchevo is not giving up its forest, said one of the slogans outside the municipality building in Petrich, where residents protested against a photovoltaic project that would destroy the forest above the village. The proposal dates back to 2022, when the local authority approved it. A court recently issued a ruling in favor of the investor.

The plan involves cutting down trees on almost 30 hectares. Among the crowd were their political representatives, activists and member of parliament Krasimira Katincharova from the Velichie party. The name means greatness. It was founded in Vetrino in northeastern Bulgaria to oppose a controversial wind power project, one of several in the past few years.

Several projects for renewables in Bulgaria have caused backlash over their impact on nature and agriculture

Protesters demand transparency and public discussion, warning of ecosystem devastation as well as risks for agriculture. Desperate to save their forest, they vowed to continue the resistance, and scheduled tree planting for March 15,

Starchevo, in Blagoevgrad province bordering Greece and North Macedonia, is one of the hottest areas in Bulgaria, villager Kiril told BNT. There is no other such forest in the entire municipality, he stressed. The people from the village planted it for protection from flooding, he explained and pointed out that bare land wouldn’t be able to absorb the water, jeopardizing homes and arable land.

“Our grandmothers, grandfathers, great-grandmothers, great-grandfathers worked there for hours and days… Business should grow. That is alright, we are not against building. Let business grow. It’s just that it doesn’t belong there,” said another resident, Ivan, clearly affected. One of his neighbors said she lives 50 meters from the location where trees would be cut and photovoltaics installed.