🌲 About Green Atlas

🎯 Our Mission

Green Atlas of Bulgaria is a free, open-source project that makes forestry data accessible and visual. We believe informed communities protect their forests better. Our goals:

• Visualize — Present forest cover, loss, and gain on an interactive map anyone can explore
• Educate — Provide real statistics from official sources (EEA, Copernicus, Executive Forest Agency)
• Act — Channel awareness into action through reforestation partnerships and sustainable fundraising
• Measure impact — Track carbon emissions linked to deforestation and the wider environmental cost

📈 Bulgaria's Forests in Numbers

🌍 Why It Matters — Carbon & AI

Forest loss doesn't just harm biodiversity — it drives carbon emissions. In 2024, Bulgaria lost approximately 3,400 hectares of tree cover, emitting an estimated 1.4 million tonnes of CO₂. Meanwhile, global data centres — including those powering AI — consume enormous energy and produce growing carbon footprints.

Healthy forests are the world's most effective natural carbon sinks. Every hectare of Bulgarian forest absorbs roughly 5–8 tonnes of CO₂ per year. By protecting and expanding our forests, we offset industrial emissions including those from the growing AI and cloud-computing sectors.

🏛 Protected Areas & UNESCO Heritage

• 3 National Parks — Central Balkan, Rila, Pirin
• 11 Nature Parks — Strandzha (largest), Vitosha, Vratsa Balkan, and more
• 55 Nature Reserves — Strict protection zones
• 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites— Pirin National Park & Srebarna Nature Reserve