Environmental policy and administrative management

Development of alternative strategies for land use in respect to decrease the degradation of soil at health risk assessment around non-ferrous plant KCM-EAD, Plovdiv Soil pollution is one of the basic degraded problems. There is about 36 000 ha in Bulgaria loaded with heavy metals and metalloids, which is under 1% of the arable lands. The importance of the soil pollution investigation comes from the site localisation, strongly affected by the anthropogenic activity in the regions with high population density and with intensive agriculture. The available practices of the land management do not give clear answer for ecological production. The problem is particularly of present interest in the region of the municipality Kuklen, where the lead-zinc smelter (KCM Ltd.) functions around 46 years. Multiple numbers of investigations were carried out episodically and concerned only some sides of the pollution and the transfer of the pollutants. At this stage the agricultural producers do not possess so called passports or certificates, giving information for the soil status and variants for rational and sustainable land management. Such initiatives are directed not only to the farmers but as well as to the population and households, generally. The main project s object is to explore practically in real field conditions alternative agricultural systems, suitable for application in the region with polluted soils - the region of the municipality Kuklen, which ensure safety land use and decreases the risk for the population. The object realization will allow restriction of the degraded processes (pollution, wind erosion), sustainable development and sustainable land management. The concrete project purposes are: Conduction of field experiments with agricultural crops (technical, fruits and est.) in chosen plots in the area of Kuklen and neighbour villages for a demonstration of the safety land use in heavy metal polluted soils. Analyses of the received production and assessment of the safety utilization. Information to the local public for the experimental results, including publishing of leaflets, newssheets, seminar implementation, est. Investigation of the crop phytoremediation potential, chosen in the field experiment and assessment of the possibilities to be used for remediation of the metal polluted soils. The project will motivates the population in the region of KCM to be acquainted in details with practical monitoring and real participation in the testing and utilization of the new technologies for phytoremediation of polluted agricultural lands and their application by pilot s field experiments. An economics ground of the efficiency will be done after inserting the new practices (production of the ethereal-oil crops, sericulture) in the conditions of the sustainable land management. Multiplication of the successful technologies and phytotechnologies will be done for land use of the agricultural lands in other regions with non-ferrous and black metallurgy operating and discontinued (Kardjali, Elisseina, Zlatitsa, Pirdop, Kremikovtsi). Collected information can be used for real assessment of the impacts and forecast for agricultural land management. New knowledge will be given to the central administrative structures, as well as in the local society. The right assessment and the monitoring of the pollution gives base for developing of the good agricultural practices, allowing the receiving of additional incomes. All these investigations will serve as a base and additional precondition for developing of ecotourism in the region Partnership with GEF SGP project Training of experts, creating of capacity and increasing the public informity about application of bio/phytotechnologies for remediation of soils and polluted sites with POP and heavy metals

Bulgaria