Today we celebrate the Day of Parks in Bulgaria. There are a total of 14 parks in our country – 3 national and 11 natural, which are celebrated today. According to Bulgarian legislation, they are protected areas and differ in the level of protection. National parks are distinguished by stricter norms and restrictive regimes aimed at protecting nature, while in natural parks the regimes are not so restrictive and there is an opportunity for economic activities.

The three national parks in our country are Central Balkan, Rila, and Pirin, and the natural parks are Belasitsa, Bulgarka, Vitosha, Vratchanski Balkan, Zlatni pyasatsi, Persina, Sinite Kamani, Strandzha, Rila Monastery, Rusenski Lom, and Shumen Plateau.

The main goal of the designation of these protected areas is to preserve and protect in their natural environment rare and valuable species of plants and animals, habitats, diverse ecosystems, as well as characteristic and remarkable landscapes of living and non-living nature. At the same time, within the parks one has the opportunity to get in touch with nature. Through various means and tools for presentation, interpretation, etc., the Park Directorates provide opportunities for enriching knowledge, for education in nature, they provide an accessible environment, stimulate a nature-friendly lifestyle and tourism, and also support scientific activity in the country and the sustainable development of the livelihoods of local communities.

The Rila National Park is the largest of the three national parks in the country and one of the largest in Europe. It was declared on February 24, 1992 with the aim of preserving for the benefit of society representative natural complexes of high conservation significance and characteristic landscapes and objects of inanimate nature, which are of global importance for science and culture. The park is one of the most significant places of globally endangered species of plants and animals, part of the pan-European ecological network Natura 2000. It contains four reserves, which occupy about 20% of its territory - "Skakavitsa", "Parangalitsa" (one of the oldest reserves in Bulgaria, declared in 1933), "Ibar", and the largest nature reserve in the country – the "Central Rila Reserve".

The Central Balkan National Park is the second largest national park in the country and is the richest in various types of habitats. It is distinguished by a high degree of naturalness of its ecosystems (unaffected by human activity) - over 70% of them. The Park protects a number of endangered and rare species of plants and animals, some of which are found only on its territory. Within the boundaries of the Central Balkan, nine reserves are preserved and located - protected areas with the highest level of protection, according to Bulgarian legislation.

The Central Balkan National Park has been awarded the European Diploma for Protected Areas - a prestigious award by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Since 2009 to present, it has remained the only Bulgarian park to have won the prestigious award. Possession of a European Diploma is a recognition of the qualities of the nature within the Park and its management. It implies the maintenance of exceptional European interest, continued efforts for good management, and annual defense of the award.

Since 1999, Pirin People’s Park has been re-categorized into Pirin National Park. Due to its unique natural complex, since 1983, Pirin National Park has been included in the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The presence of Pirin National Park on the World Heritage List confirms the exceptional and universal value of this natural site, which deserves to be preserved for the benefit of all humanity.

The park includes more than 50 marble and granite peaks with a height of over 2500 m. Among them, the leader is Vihren Peak - 2914 m above sea level, the third highest on the Balkan Peninsula. From the rocky peaks to the valleys, the mountain is furrowed by 35 large and small cirques, in whose "beds" about 170 glacial lakes are located.

In Pirin, there are over 1300 species of higher plants, which represents about one third of the flora of Bulgaria. Among them, there are 110 Balkan, 36 Bulgarian, and 17 local endemics. The fauna is also impressive – almost 2981 species of invertebrates and 240 species of vertebrates, including 166 species of birds and 50 species of mammals.

The Day of Parks in Bulgaria (May 28) has been celebrated since 1999 on initiative by the Ministry of Environment and Water, and it takes after the European Parks Day, which is celebrated on May 24 on initiative by the European Federation of National and Natural Parks EUROPARC. This date was not chosen by chance. It was on May 24, 1909, that the first nine national parks in Europe were created in Sweden. Europe has been celebrating Parks Day since 1999, with the aim to create a feeling in people of closeness to nature, to increase public understanding of the importance of natural ecosystem preservation in protected areas.