The war of the Greens against second lift in Bansko is an ecological nonsense

The Greens do not want to comment on the fact that an intentional camera has recorded 2,500 vehicles entering the forests of Pirin just for one day. Can anyone imagine the exhaust gases of 2,500 cars? Every third car on the highway emits thick black smoke. We can reasonably assume that at least 800 vehicles that have entered the heart of Pirin mountain have smoked it as a heavy smoker – a toilet at the station. And this is only for one day.For two days – 5,000 cars.For a month? For a year? For five years?
 
At the same time, the lift remains the quietest, environmentally friendly, paths, land, plants and animals protecting transport. Only the hot air balloonstransport is more-ethereal transport than the lift. Pirin mountain will become a trulyhealthy mountain when the cars access is forbidden. Just like it is in Switzerland.
 
Or like it is in the national parks in the USA, whereby the tourists walk between 2 and 5 km from the parking lot to a tourist centreto pay their fee and get a permission to go to the camping site, that is for example another 5 km away. Or like the road transport is forbidden in countless unique natural sites where people go driven by love of beauty, and not because they insist on having their favourite car be behind them so that they could easily take out the grills to cookoutdoor.
Published on facts.bg:
 
How did UNESCO change its position on the extension of the ski zone on the territory of the Pirin National Park and allowed the construction of a second booth and new ski tracks? Whether atroll who does not like Pirin mountain has sneaked into UNESCO or it is about a breakthrough of the rationality, which unlocks the opportunities for business, sport and the creation of a long-term perspective?
 
The possibility comes down to the preparation of an environmental assessment on the basis of the projects presented. The absolute ban on using the mountain for sport is bordered by a terror over a whole region in the country.
 
The biggest lie, raised on posters and disseminated against the appropriate payment, was that 48 percent of Pirin Mountain would be built up. This would be an unbelievable design and architectural miracle, because it is supposed that a new booth and another ski track will take another 46 percent from the mountain by adding them to the current 2.
 The lie of the Greens continues to be circulated in meetings and media Yes, the geographical truth is that the ski zone occupies only 2 per cent of the whole mountain and there is no construction of any building in any part of the ski territory, and there haven’t been any plans for such a construction. The reason for not having such plans is basedon the concept for providing perfect conditions for mountain sports and each building would be a direct obstacle because it requires more roads and urban infrastructure.
 
The area where the ski zone is to be expanded neither represents an animal shelter nor a forest where people usually walk. The region around the current ski track is known only because it is already a ski zone. It is about a highly inaccessible part of the mountain, which does not provide neither views and meadows, nor has it ever been used for tourist routes.
 The new cabin and the future ski track suggestcutting down greenery, but it has long been known that the tempo at which the forest is recovering in Pirin mountain is about five times faster than the amount of the trees cut, where it is done legally. There is no ecological problem and it has never stood, and this is well known to those who continue tolie on fabrications on the 48 percent construction and concrete pouring in the mountain. Let us remind you again: the ski zone occupies 2 per cent.
 
The multitude of controversies show that many of the opponents of the infrastructure changes in the mountain has neither ever gone skiing in their lives, nor have they even reached the slopes of Pirin Mountain. And while for some of the people anchored in the cities the limitation comes from the lack of energy to move into the mountains, for others the protest for the sake of protesting is a manifestation of civil courage.
 
Why are the business and the health of PirinMountaininextricably connected? Only the successful business can fund aqualitative maintenance of the mountain.This means that the construction of tracks, marking that is visible at night and in bad weather; toilets, because otherwise the mountain becomes a place where used napkinscan float freely.
 
Two lifts in Bansko are pursuing a much bigger goal: the final stop of people climbing the mounting bycar. The cars particularly are the rudest interference in the nature protection! That’s why it sounds incredible and ridiculous when representatives of the Greens in particularinsist on building more parking lots.
 
At the same time, the Bulgarians are worshiping those Swiss resorts where you leave your car in a parking lot and walk like a mule with all your luggage two kilometers or more away just to get to the resort village. Oh, the Bulgarians say – “But it is so clean there! Oh, but it is so beautiful in Switzerland! Oh, how white it is! How blue!”. There – in Switzerland, where cars are forbidden to access the resorts for years.
 
The Greens do not want to comment on the fact that an intentional camera has recorded 2,500 vehicles entering the forests of Pirin just for one day. Can anyone imagine the exhaust gases of 2,500 cars? Every third car on the highway emits thick black smoke. We can reasonably assume that at least 800 vehicles that have entered the heart of Pirin mountain have smoked it as a heavy smoker – a toilet at the station. And this is only for one day.For two days – 5000 cars.For a month? For a year? For five years?
 2,500 cars enter the forests of Pirin mountain only for a day
 
At the same time, the lift remains the quietest, environmentally friendly, paths, land, plants and animals protecting transport. Only the hot air balloons transportis more-ethereal transport than the lift.
 
Pirin mountain will become a truly healthy mountain when the cars access is forbidden. Just like it is in Switzerland. Or like it is in the national parks in the USA, whereby the tourists walk between 2 and 5 km away from the parking lot to a tourist centreto pay their fee and get a permission to go to the camping site, that is for example another 5 km away. Or as the road transport is forbidden in countless unique natural sites where people go driven by love of beauty, and not because they insist on having their favourite car be behind them so that they could easily take out the grills to cook outdoor.
 
It is important to know that the construction of a lift is a gesture to all the people whose pedestrian walks have always been tiring due to their physical disabilities. Only the successful business in the mountain can guarantee that the walking routes are maintained and guarded. And the safeguard could not be left on cameras only – the way some rangers walk around other natural parks worldwideshould also happen in Pirin Mountain.
 
The experts insistthat a three-seat lift is needed from Banderitsa Meadowto Vihren hut (not to the peak but to the hut!). The reason is again the transport – too many people want to park straight up, in front of the hut.
 Who truly loves nature knows that the mountain is not a place for cars. Does anyone have the energy to climb to the top? No, not everyone has such energy. But who says that everyone should get to the top? As people without legs climbMount Everest with the help of supporters and friends, so any visitor of Pirin Mountain can conquer the highest place with the help of a good friend. What do the Mountain Guides say as a habitat of unique species? The official information is that the PirinNational Park is a home to “2091 species and subspecies of invertebrates – spiders, millipedes, insects, snails, etc. Of these, 294 species are rare, 216 endemic, 176 relict species, 15 are listed on the global and European lists of endangered species. The invertebrate fauna is still under research“. 
Do the protesters in protection ofthe animal species really assume that during the winter season the endemic and relic species just want to enjoy the fresh air and a snow walk and hop – a skier flows out over there!
 
There are 247 vertebrate species, the trout, the eel among them. There are eight species of amphibians and 11 species of reptilesand another 159 bird species living there.
 
Indisputable fact is that where people walk, the animals which make a conscious choice where to walk and hunt are consciously moving away. The tourists who go around the mountain are much bigger problem for all the species than the infrastructure of a ski zone. The organizing of only one camp and building a campfire can kill immediately at least a few endemic and relict species, not to countthe spiders.The fishis also not in the scope of winter sports, ski tracks and ski vacations. The reptiles are also enjoying the snow, they would not even choose to crawl among people, no matter if around a campfire, photo safari, or a simple walk among the trees. It is a proven fact that the skifacilities and the lifts do not interfere with bird life in any way. Why is the business very interested in expanding the ski zone? Not only because of its personal interest at the low of the city where the restaurants, bars and hotels are located, but because without a well-regulated mountain, far beyond the ski zones, the whole region will lag behind. The queue in front of the lift in Bansko 
We consider it perfectly natural for the mountain slopes of Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France to be an excellenttourist destination. And whoever has been there knows that it is possible to move miles away by transferring from one lift to another. The silent humming of the electric winchesdoes not interfere with the songs of the birds, the plays of the deer and the elks, the rabid rabbits, the tripping foxes.
 
Why does the business in Bansko insist on the construction of a second booth to the ski tracks of the resort and on the expansion of the ski zone? Because despite the magnificent conditions and views offered by the mountain, the small spaces will soon cause an increased number of accidents. Yet, the idea is for the skiers to ski down with and not to mount rear-view mirrors on their helmets to protect themselves from those comingfrom behind and at the same time to save the people in front of them.
 
The vision for another cabin and expansion of the network of seat-lifts is at the base of the ecological approach to the whole mountain, in fact, to every mountain. The refusal of thestate authority, responsible for the entire tourist industry, to preparean operating regulation on camping leaves the initiative to implement practices on nature protection in the hands of many institutions. At this stage, closure of roads will be considered self-management.
 
Every attempt to emphasize on the ecological argument and that the cars irretrievably harm both plants, animals, birds, snakes, spiders, endemic species and relict species is shattered by the noisydemand that “the old people, pregnant women and mothers with young children” should go directly to the place they consider to be natural enough.
 
A true hero will turn to be this local, regional or national government official who draws the line and stops the demolition of the mountains by cars driving in the territory of the parks.
 
Bansko in the winter
 
The three-member composition of the Supreme Administrative Curtissued a decision that contradictedto all modern practices on nature conservation by introducing environmental infrastructure solutions. At this stage, the court effectively voted in favor of parking lots and future demolition of the mountain by any person who wants to do so personally or with a company. This decision is also contrary to the approval of the future of Pirin byUNESCO.
 
The five-member compositionneeds to face the extremely difficult task of not insulting the decision of itscolleagues and at the same time to take an up-to-date and adequate solution which will allow the development of long-term projects compatible with the European environmental norms.
 
The people need to gain a free access to the mountain. It is an obligation of the state to ensure that this can happen at any time of the year safe and secure and without causing damage to the nature. It is no a coincidence at all that the Swiss rely first of all on the lifts to allow their beautiful tourism to happen.
 
 
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