Bulgarian agriculture is undermining biodiversity. And its own future.
And yes, we will also talk about RES.
According to the latest index of the European Environment Agency, the indicator for birds on agricultural lands in Bulgaria has declined by about 41% between 2005 and 2024, perhaps the worst in Europe, where the same decline of 41% is observed on average, but for the period from 1990 to 2024.
Birds may be difficult to count, but the trend is crystal clear: Bulgaria is losing a huge part of the birds in its agricultural areas. It is probably a decline of about 4-8 million adult individuals. (If someone can count them (If you can think of a more precise answer, I would be grateful for a comment.)
Birds are not just a beautiful backdrop to the rural landscape. They destroy pests, disperse seeds and participate in the nutrient cycle. They are among the best indicators of the ecological health of the earth.
But our agricultural model is literally exterminating them.
How?
Through extremely intensive grain production, excessive use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, removal of swards, bushes and small uncultivated areas, lack of crop diversity.
Through policies focused on area, subsidies and short-term profit - and almost no political commitment to the role of agriculture in protecting soils, waters and biodiversity.
We have a deeply flawed system of agricultural subsidies. It rewards mostly area and volume, and does not sufficiently encourage the protection of soils, waters, landscape and biodiversity.
We also have too little data, too little applied science and almost no public debate about the ecological state of our agricultural lands.
Have you often heard that intensive agriculture destroys biodiversity and undermines its own future? You probably haven't.
But you probably hear every day how wind farms would destroy the fertile Bulgarian land.
There is no energy technology without an impact on nature. Not to mention lignite fields and overhead power grids. But the available data does not support the suggestion that wind energy is a serious threat to birds in Bulgaria.
At the same time, renewable energy increases our energy independence, lowers electricity prices and reduces the money we send abroad to import fuels.
And with reasonable planning and good management of the spaces around the facilities, RES can help restore habitats, soils and biodiversity.
The problem is not the “agriculture vs. energy” argument. The problem is bad agriculture, bad agricultural policy, bad planning and policy without data.
Our agricultural model is destroying biodiversity. In doing so, it is damaging both healthy, sustainable agriculture - and its own future.
We need to talk about the real threats, not just populist political scaremongering.
Disclaimer: I do not work for or receive remuneration from anyone in the wind business - neither in Bulgaria nor abroad.
PS Of course, all these negative impacts on birds cannot be compared to the effect of domestic and stray cats, which kill somewhere between 10 and 22 million birds in Bulgaria per year.