The amendments to the Hunting and Game Protection Act envision the creation of a National Hunting and Fishing Association in a way enforced by the Government, while all independent hunting associations will have to close down, according to Ivan Ivanov from the coalition of independent hunting associations (CIHA) in Bulgaria. Ivanov started organising the hunting associations in a national protest against the amendments.

The lower limit of 22 000 ha for hunting reserves was put by the state on purpose, Ivanov told The Sofia Echo on August 26, to make them all close down including all biggest hunting reserves, which are few and range in size between 19 000 to 20 000 ha. CIHA's members are 60 to 70 independent hunting and fishing associations, which account for about 20 per cent of the game huntng in Bulgaria. This makes the total number of CIHA's members about 20 000 people, Ivanov said.

"We want a National Hunting and Fishing Association, but we want to establish it ourselves," Ivanov said.

CIHA met for a conference on August 14 in Stara Zagora and decided to start collecting signatures against the proposed amendments and to organise a national protest in front of the Cabinet building in Sofia on September 10, when Government will meet for its first session after the summer holiday. The petition was handed to the agriculture and forestry committee of parliament during its extraordinary session on August 25, Ivanov said. CIHA insisted on returning the draft act for revision.

The informal association of off-road drivers and non-governmental organisation National Environmental Club decided to join CIHA's protest.

To Sustain the Nature in Bulgaria (SNB) coalition supported big part of the requests of the hunting associations, Stefan Avramov from SNB told The Sofia Echo. "The way the establishment of a new National Hunting and Fishing Association is imposed by the new Hunting and Game Protection Act is similar to the communist times, when everything was centralised," he said.

The environmentalists are also against the state proposal to extend the hunting season for water fowl by one month, until the end of February.