Belasitsa Nature Park, Nature park in Petrich Municipality, Bulgaria.
Belasitsa Nature Park spans across the northern slopes of Belasitsa Mountain in Petrich Municipality. The area features dense forests, meadows, and several streams that flow through the mountainous terrain.
Protection of this area began in 1988 with the establishment of Kongur Reserve to safeguard natural forest ecosystems. This initial conservation effort laid the foundation for the region's recognition as an important natural protected area today.
The park territory includes nine villages where local residents continue to work the land using traditional farming and forestry methods. This way of life has shaped the landscape over generations and remains visible in how the land is managed today.
The park directorate is based in Kolarovo, and the park borders North Macedonia to the west and Greece to the south. Access is by road from Petrich, which lies within the park's territory. Trails lead into the northern slopes of Belasitsa Mountain.
The park holds Bulgaria's largest deposit of common chestnut, one of the reasons Kongur Reserve was created in 1988. Around 1,200 plant species have been recorded here, alongside some 1,500 invertebrate and 180 vertebrate species, including the white-backed woodpecker and Orpheus warbler.
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