• The Ministry of Environment and Water will refer the case involving the destruction of part of the habitat to the competent prosecutor’s office

In order to prevent the risk of damage to and destruction of the habitat of the Rhodope Haberlea (Orpheus’s flower) (Haberlea rhodopensis Friv.), by order dated April 28, 2026, the Minister of Environment and Water Julian Popov prohibited the following activities from being carried out in the conservation-significant area within the territory of the village of Gornoslav, Asenovgrad Municipality, Plovdiv Province: changes in the designated use of the territory and the manner of permanent use of the land and forests; construction; exploration, survey, and extraction of underground resources; as well as other activities leading to the damage or destruction of the species’ population and its habitat.

The order remains in effect until the declaration of the “Rhodope Haberlea (Haberlea rhodopensis Friv.) Habitat” protected area, as proposed by the non-profit association “Green Balkans.” The Minister of Environment and Water ruled on the appropriateness of the proposal in March of this year, and the procedure for declaring the protected area has been initiated in accordance with the Protected Areas Act.

The ban is imposed in light of a notification regarding an investment proposal for the extraction and primary processing of underground resources - non-metallic minerals (industrial minerals - marble), located in the same area, submitted to the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water-Plovdiv after the proposal to designate the protected area was received, the implementation of which would inevitably lead to the complete and irreversible destruction of the species’ habitat and population.

On April 28 of this year, the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water-Plovdiv received a report of serious destruction of part of the Rhodope Silivryak habitat, consisting of the uprooting of all adult clumps of the plant located in the lower part of the ravine; preliminary data indicate that at least 400 individuals have been destroyed. The inspection was ordered to conduct an immediate on-site inspection, during which the actual situation and the extent of the damage were established.

The case will be referred to the competent prosecutor’s office, given that the Rhodope Silivryak is a protected species listed in Annex 3 of the Biodiversity Act. In the event of the unlawful destruction or damage of specimens of a protected species, the perpetrators may be held criminally liable under the Criminal Code, which foresees imprisonment for up to three years or probation, as well as a fine ranging from 2 000 to 10 000 leva (from 1 023 to 5 113 euros).

The Ministry of Environment and Water will continue the procedure for designating the protected area in view of its significance as a natural habitat for the Rhodope Silivryak, which is one of the rarest species in Bulgarian flora, a Balkan endemic, and a Tertiary relict, listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Bulgaria. The population of the species on the territory of the village of Gornoslav numbers over five thousand individuals and is representative of the country.