The Pirin mountains are being challenged by Bansko development companies.

Several ski resort developments in the Balkans, Carpathians and Dolomites have been under fire from environmental interests for their impact on protected areas and forests, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the latest to protest.

SkiRebel.com reported recently on UNESCO’s futile efforts to stop these developments, particularly at Bulgarian ski resort Bansko. The WWF, the global nature conservation organization, has published a review of several new ski projects planned for Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine.

According to the WWF, the local forests shelter many of the brown bears, wolves and lynx of Europe.

“Construction of ski facilities of course can have very significant impact on habitats and species, not only due to removal of forest cover and other vegetation to make way for ski runs, access roads and infrastructure, but also due to fragmentation of habitats and wildlife avoidance,” the report says. “Secondary effects such as the abstraction of water for artificial snow production and deterioration of environmental conditions due to heavy tourist flow concentration can also have heavy impacts for biodiversity and nature values.”

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