Gabrovo, Bulgaria

Regional Demonstrators

Gabrovo is located on the terraces of five rivers at the foot of the Balkan Mountain in the North Central Region of Bulgaria. Bulgaria is connected to the Alps through the Balkan Mountain range. The range runs for around 560 km across Bulgaria, forming a natural barrier between the northern and southern parts of the country. Over 50% of Gabrovo’s territory is covered with forests and one-third of them are included in Nature 2000. 

Both flora and fauna in the Balkan Mountain range are affected by climate-related challenges. According to the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan until 2030, Bulgaria is situated in a region, which is highly vulnerable to climate change-related extreme events such as droughts, floods, heat and cold waves, hurricane winds, forest fires and landslides, affecting citizens, economy as well as biodiversity, land and aquatic ecosystems, water resources, agriculture, and forestry.  

The current target of the Municipality is to become climate neutral by 2030.

Demo project 1: Innovative Solutions for Green Infrastructure.

To achieve this aim, some of the measures Gabrovo will implement are improving the knowledge base and increasing awareness regarding climate change adaptation. MountResilience will develop a new Green Infrastructure Strategy, placing the focus on the sustainable use of natural resources and innovative Nature-Based Solutions to adapt to climate change.

Including:

• Mapping of the urban green and blue infrastructure
• Co-designing a new Green Infrastructure Strategy with local stakeholders
• Implementing a pilot project, focused on rainwater harvesting for maintaining urban green areas in the city center of Gabrovo, increasing the permeable green spaces and tree planting. 

Demo project 2: Early-Warning and Monitoring System (EWMS)

The project also aims to create an Early Warning and Monitoring System for the Municipality of Gabrovo to manage risks. This system will focus on providing early warnings for various natural hazards like floods, hurricanes, and forest fires. The project will also include activities to raise awareness and engage the public.

What has been done so far?

• Mapping of the urban green and blue infrastructure in Gabrovo; 

• Pre-investment study for rainwater harvesting system; 

• Pre-investment study for Early warning and Monitoring System; 

• First co-creation workshop for the development of the new GI Strategy with stakeholders and citizens; 

Gabrovo municipality continues to work on the Green Infrastructure (GI) Strategy. An important input came from the discussions in working groups organised during the environmental festival Uzana Polyana Fest. The participants also completed a questionnaire about the green future of Gabrovo, which provided additional input for the GI Strategy.
Meetings with experts will be held to discuss some of the technical design details of the water solution (irrigation systems) for the green areas of the municipality.
The public tender for the purchase of Demo 2 equipment is almost finalised and will be announced soon.