Vladimir Milushev became director of the Directorate “Rila” National Park in the beginning of March 2022. He took over the management of the largest national park with the promise for transparency in his work and that everyone will learn many fascinating stories about Rila, its wonderful nature and the important role that protected areas play in preserving the fragile ecological balance. The new director said the most important objective in his work will be the preservation of the mountain’s invaluable natural wealth for future generations.

“The main task on which the directorate team will focus in the next few months is the completion of the new protected areas management plan, which has been delayed for more than 5 years. In the long term we will work to increase the efficiency in the directorate’s work by upgrading existing partnerships, increasing employees’ capacity, and improving the material base. All this will establish the “Rila” National Park as a place with preserved nature, offering unforgettable experiences to all visitors, while the team of the directorate will be satisfied with a job well done,” said Vladimir Milushev.

Vladimir Milushev was born in 1979 in Blagoevgrad. He has a master’s degree in forest management from the University of Forestry in Sofia. He has more than 15 years of experience in the field of environmental protection. He has worked in the Directorate of the “Vitosha” Nature Park, he has previous experience as an expert in the “Rila” National Park Directorate, as well as in the non-governmental sector in nature protection in Bulgaria and Europe. He has experience as a leader and coordinator of projects in the field of biodiversity research and conservation, supporting local communities for sustainable development, international and regional cooperation in the field of nature protection. He is an auditor for sustainable forest management under the FSC system, a certified instructor in strategic planning and evaluation of effectiveness in environmental management, an active participant in civil campaigns and protests for environmental protection, as well as a mountain guide with more than 15 years of experience in the Bulgarian mountains.