Strandzha Nature Park

Strandzha Nature Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
View from Papiya Peak
Location	Strandzha Mountain, Burgas Province, Bulgaria
Nearest city	Malko Tarnovo, Ahtopol
Coordinates	42°0′45″N 27°36′31″E / 42.01250°N 27.60861°E / 42.01250; 27.60861Coordinates: 42°0′45″N 27°36′31″E / 42.01250°N 27.60861°E / 42.01250; 27.60861
Area	1,161 square kilometres (448 sq mi)
Established	1995
Governing body	Ministry of Environment and Water

Strandzha Nature Park (Bulgarian: Природен парк Странджа Priroden park Strandzha, also transliterated as Stranja Nature Park) is the largest protected area in Bulgaria spanning a territory of 1,161 square kilometres (448 sq mi) in the Strandzha Mountain in the extreme south-eastern corner of the country on the border with Turkey. It was established on 25 January 1995 to protect ecosystems and biodiversity of European importance, as well as the traditional cultural, historical and folklore heritage of the region. The altitude varies from 710 metres (780 yd) on Gradishte Peak to 0 metres (0 yd) at the Black Sea coast with average length of 50 kilometres (31 mi) from west to east and 20 kilometres (12 mi) from north to south.

The nature park is situated in Burgas Province with two towns, Malko Tarnovo and Ahtopol, and several villages within its territory. It includes five nature reserves: Silkosiya, Sredoka, Tisovitsa, Uzunbodzhak and Vitanovo. Silkosiya is the oldest one in Bulgaria, established in 1933, and Uzunbodzhak is included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme. The whole territory is part of the network of nature protection areas of the European Union, Natura 2000.

Strandzha Nature Park falls within two terrestrial ecoregions of the Palearctic temperate broadleaf and mixed forest — the Balkan mixed forests and the Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests. Forests cover 80% of the park's area, with old-growth forest forming 30% of them. These woods are the last remaining temperate forests with evergreen laurel undergrowth in Europe. The park has the highest number of vertebrate species of all protected areas in Bulgaria, including 66 species of mammals, 269 species of birds, 24 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibia and 41 species of freshwater fish, as well as 70 species of marine fish in the waters of the Black Sea. The invertebrate fauna is poorly researched and includes 84 Bulgarian endemic species, of which 4 are local, and 34 relict species.