The first Bulgarian interactive map of ecological conflict points as well as good practices is now a fact. Now, anyone can gain access to information about places where pollution has reached dangerous levels and send an alert whenever the environment is in jeopardy. The young team of the Friends of the Earth association hopes that the project will mobilize society to join in the fight for the protection of Bulgaria’s environment.

The idea is not only to visualize the problematic areas across this country, but also to expose specific cases, which have been resolved by the local communities. “This will help people learn about similar problems in other geographic locations, exchange experience so that they may be able to solve them,” explains Todor Slavov from the Friends of the Earth. The environmentalists hope to be able to help establish a network of relations among individual communities, committed to environmentalism. How does this unique map function? Log onto www.map.zazemiata.org and select any point on Earth. Zoom in to look for the existence of an environmental issue or any good practice within a radius from 1 to 100 km. A quick look at the map reveals a great many problems, such as inefficient long-term waste storage in Bulgaria. We can also see different instances of nuclear contamination or cases, connected with uranium mining, for instance:

“There are old uranium mines in the area of Kremikovtsi – they have been closed down, but not fully rehabilitated, so there is a high level of radiation there,” Todor Slavov explains. “One such area is the region around the capital Sofia, which people use for picnics. We have marked the spots where there are disused mines, so that people can see what to avoid. The ecological conflicts in the region of Varna are another case in point. The map reveals the purchase of a plot of land on the Northern Black Sea shoreline by a big foreign bank – but the plot lies within a protected area.”

The map offers information about conflict areas in other parts of the world as well. The other advantage of the system is that anyone can upload photos, links or any online info on problems within a certain area. That is how we can see interesting cases of environmental conflicts that have been covered up by entire local communities:

“One case in point was the incinerator in Kaspichan, where the local people held a referendum that was successful,” Mr. Slavov further says. “There was a project there for medical waste incineration, but the locals initiated the referendum and, as a result, the project was halted. One example of good practices is the so-called ecological estate of Obichkovtsi near Belogradchik, whose inhabitants try to lead sustainable and self-sufficient lives, in harmony with nature.”

The website lists some of the most significant eco centers in Bulgaria, which are open to visitors whose numbers have been growing. The young Friends of the Earth environmentalists got the inspiration to create it by the international www.ejatlas.org Environmental Justice Atlas, developed under an EU project and with the participation of their own association.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev