Shar Mountain's natural wealth is being destroyed: motorcycles and ATVs wreak havoc

Shar Mountain National Park is under pressure from motorcycles and ATVs that freely drive on the mountain slopes, park employees warn. The vehicles create large clouds of dust, tear up the plant cover and disturb the peace of the wildlife and other visitors, thereby reducing the value of this protected natural area.

Park services say that reckless and fast driving turns the summer terrain into tracks for motorcycle races. The dust pollutes the air and increases erosion of the trails and vulnerable habitats, while scattered litter further worsens the long-term damage to nature.

According to the authorities, the problem is most pronounced in the period from mid‑June to mid‑August, when financially better‑off individuals who live abroad stay in the country. "They live in European cultural countries where they respect the rules, however here they are not used to the fact that a new regime of behavior has been established and the rule must be respected in order to preserve our Shar Mountain National Park," says Anela Stavrevska-Panajotova, head of the Department for Nature Protection at Shar Mountain National Park.

Difficulties in enforcement and a call for wider intervention

Employees admit that they can hardly prevent all reckless acts on their own. They appeal for conscientiousness, coordinate with the police and seek help from the local population, but note that the park is difficult to control because there are around eighty entrances and exits. "We really need to start talking where we talk about 'Safe City'; in the country, in urban environments we need to start talking about how to resolve this new trend as soon as possible. Shar Mountain NP is very difficult to control, because there are around eighty entrances and exits," adds Stavrevska-Panajotova.

Specialists in environmental health warn about both the health consequences and the social aspects of such behavior. "I understand the adrenaline and dopamine addicts, it naturally gives them satisfaction. However, those of us who want to recreate really have impaired physical, mental and social well‑being. And those are all three basic postulates according to the World Health Organization," says Ratko Davidovski, specialist in environmental health.

There have also been recorded concrete material damages: around 50 of more than 100 newly installed metal posts for winter marking from Popova Shapka to Titov Vrv have been destroyed or damaged. The park appeals for state institutions and local authorities to engage with firmer measures to protect the natural wealth and to prevent further vandalism and pollution.

Photo: kallerna / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)