site.btaRopotamo Nature Reserve: The Trials and Tribulations of a Paradise

On July 24, 1962, by Order 2080 of the national forestry authority, the existing Ropotamo Reserve was declared a national park. In 1992, its status was changed again to "reserve with strict regime and adjacent buffer zones" and it was expanded to include Ropotamo Natural Park and three nature reserves: Zmiyski ostrov (Snake Island), Arkutino and Morski Pelin, with a total area of 1,000.7 ha. The reserve is comprised of the downstream stretch and estuary of the Ropotamo River, seasonally flooded forests, small freshwater and brackish lagoons, sand dunes and various inlets. Probably the best-known site in the reserve is the firth, formed at the confluence of the river in the Black Sea, where sea water enters back to the river.

Like most Bulgarian nature reserves, Ropotamo impresses with its unique biodiversity, with many of its animals and plants rare and found nowhere else. 

The site lies on the Via Pontica - Europe's second largest bird migration route.

During the summer months, Ropotamo can easily be mistaken for a tropical site. With its lush vegetation, the humid air of Alepu and Arkutino swamps, it seems outlandish even to Bulgarian visitors. 

Ropotamo is also designated as a site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, the international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Enlisted as Ropotamo Complex on September 24, 1975, it initially included Arkutino region and was later extended to also include the Alepu swamps, Alepu sand dunes, Maslen nos and others, on a total of 5,500 ha.

According to the Ramsar Sites Information Service, the Ropotamo Complex hosts 60% of Bulgaria’s reptile species, 57% of its mammals, 60% of its freshwater fish and 50% of its nesting birds. 255 different bird species have been registered there. The Complex is home to a number of threatened plants and animals, including the marbled duck, yelkouan shearwater, spotless shad, European eel, Greek tortoise, and thick grasshopper. 

Flavour of ancient history

There is another side of the Ropotamo Reserve that is less known to the broad public. There are several impressive yet unexplored historical sites on its territory.

One is Beglik-Tash, a prehistoric rock sanctuary. Its actual dating is still subject to discussion. It was used by the Thracian tribes, but there are reasons to believe Thracians actually re-used an already existing place of worship. Its main elements are megaliths, most of which have traces of carvings for the purposes of rituals. There are also the remains of a labyrinth, and a Thracian sun-clock is built of huge stones. There are at least four dolmens in the region, not studied by archaeologists.

Ranuli, or Azine is an ancient city, some 4 km from Primorsko and 1 km from the Ropotamo estuary. The place has not been systematically explored by archaeologists, partly because it is situated on a reserve territory and partly because of its large size of more than 30,000 sq m. Now the only visible part of Ranuli are the remains of a fortress on the hill known as The Lionhead with a wall on the rim of the plateau.

In 1974, a multilayered site located in the rivermouth was discovered by chance in four metres of water. During the 1980s, the Maritime Society, a not-for-profit organisation based in Burgas, funded a series of underwater archaeological investigations on the site. What they found indicated the presence of an inundated prehistoric settlement dating from the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC). 

Challenges

According to the Ramsar Sites Information Service, the main human uses of the Ropotamo Complex include forestry, hunting, and recreational activities, and the wetland is a very popular tourist destination. Threats include urban development affecting the Alepu Marsh, unfavourable management practices, eutrophication, illegal poaching and forest logging.

After 1962, the tourist flow into the resorts in the area disturbed the balance of many ecosystems. Ropotamo and Arkutino were not merely popular: they were emblematic tourist sites of that period. In 1953, Primorsko itself was declared National Resort: with people, infrastructure and transport increasing to match that designation. In 1992, the status of protection was changed (to "reserve with strict regime") but that did not stop development in the area. An illegal fishing village here existed until 2010.

The site is too attractive and too close to centers of human activity. It is 10 km south of Sozopol and is situated on the main road to Primorsko. Visitors can hike or picnic, or take a boat ride on the Ropotamo River. 

Increased number of tourists goes hand in hand with increased number of parking lots, cars and buses, pets, roads, hotels, and modern infrastructure (water, electricity, sewerage, communication), with more asphalt, cement, and pollution. In short, it is great to advertise Arkutino Beach with its sand lily, a rare and mysteriously beautiful example of dune vegetation, an endangered species. But the fact of the matter is that the most frequently asked questions about the Arkutino Reserve on Trip Advisor are “What Hotels Are Near the Arkutino Reserve?” and “What Restaurants Are Near the Arkutino Reserve?”. 

During the last few years, Alepu Beach became emblematic for illegal development. In mid-June 2020 members of the public alerted the authorities that a four-story project was being illegally built there. As if to further inflame nature lovers, the authorities and the investor insisted that the building, while having all the features of a hotel, was in fact a landslide-retaining wall. The project has since been suspended by a court order and the authorities are exploring the options for removing the building but Alepu Beach will never be the same.