Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
The lower reaches and estuary of the Kamchia river, with remnant riverine forests, small freshwater marshes of
Phragmites and
Typha along the riverbank, arable land (the former Staro-Oryachovo marshes), a beach with sand-dunes, and a sea bay. The forests are dominated by
Fraxinus,
Ulmus,
Quercus,
Acer and
Alnus, with scrub of
Crataegus,
Cornus,
Paliurus and
Ligustrum, and lianas of
Clematis,
Smilax and
Periploca.
The site is important for wintering
Cygnus cygnus and is the most important breeding area in Bulgaria for
Dendrocopos medius and
Ficedula semitorquata. The locality is also a major migratory bottleneck site, where 60,000 or more
Ciconia ciconia pass overhead each autumn.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The water regime has been altered following the construction of embankments (along the riverside) and of reservoirs (six; throughout the catchment), and the periphery of the dense forest is gradually drying out. Part (30 ha) of the Protected Landscape was afforested with
Pinus. A management plan has been prepared for Kamchia Biosphere Reserve by the Ministry of Environment under the Bulgarian-Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Programme.
National Partial
International Partial842 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Kamtchia, 842 ha). 373 ha of IBA covered by Protected Landscape (Kamtchiyski Pyassatzi, 373 ha). 230 ha of IBA covered by Buffer Zone (Kamtchia, 230 ha). 842 ha of IBA covered by Biosphere Reserve (Kamtchia, 842 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kamchia Complex (Bulgaria). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kamchia-complex-iba-bulgaria on 23/11/2024.
