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 THE NATURE |
| While the Kresna Gorge is small in area, it is extremely rich in wildlife and has countless stunning views |
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The Kresna Gorge is situated along the riverbanks  of the Struma River in Southeast Bulgaria. The river passes between the Pirin and Malashevska Mountains for 18 km and forms the steep and picturesque slopes of the ravine. The border between the Mediterranean and continental climatic zones passes through the gorge. Numbers of plant and animal species, which can be found in the gorge, are included in Red Data Books of Bulgaria, and are covered by the European Laws and Conventions for the Protection of Natural Heritage. From all of the 141 Programme CORINE Biotopes sites found in Bulgaria, the gorge is defined as the seventh in priority for the protection of biodiversity.
The ravine is also a biological corridor for the migration of large mammals between the mountain ranges of the Balkan Peninsula as well as a very important bird migration route (Via Aristotelis).
With the accession of Bulgaria into the European Union the gorge will play a significant role in the European environmental network NATURE 2000.
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Kresna Gorge is a habitat for:
58 mammals, including bear, wolf, otter, stone marten, red-deer, wild-cat, etc. There are 17 different bat species, more than in the whole of Central Europe;
232 bird species, 135 of which are nesting species, such as the Golden eagle, Short-toed eagle, Hobby, owl, Black Stork and representatives of the Mediterranean zone, such as the Olive-tree warbler, Masked shrike, Black-eared Wheatear, Rock partridge, etc.
31 species of amphibians and reptiles, as the gorge is extremely important for the conservation of the two Mediterranean tortoise species, the leopard snake and the four-lined snake;
14 fish species;
942 species of butterflies and moths, some of which are unique to the gorge.
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There are 457 plant species found in the Kresna Gorge. A large number of the species are endemic (characteristic only for a specific territory) or relict (left from former geological ages). There is a great diversity of plant communities:
at the South part of the ravine the evergreen Mediterranean forests of Greek juniper (also called tissa),
in the North prevail cold temperature loving forests of oak and lime-trees;
along the riverbanks arise the gorgeous riparian forests of oriental plane tree, black poplar and willow- trees
at high-altitude places - venerable oak forests.
The Kresna Gorge is of worldwide importance for the preservation of the arboreal juniper forests and the oriental plane tree forest.
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Less than 5% of the territory of the gorge, including its most valuable habitats, are under the protection of the Tissata Reserve and its buffer zone. The ravine is declared as a CORINE site, according to the Bern Convention, and will be part of Europian Ecologic Networ Emerald and Natura 2000. Part of its territory is defined as an ontologically important place according to Bird Life International criteria.
Bulgarian environmentalists are working on the issue of proclaiming the entirety of the Kresna Gorge as a protected area, which may facilitate its expansion into a Trans-border Nature Park in cooperation with the Republic of Macedonia.
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