vegetation and plant population in Kresna provides a foundation for the varied populations of birds and other animals who lives here. Struma Motorway The Struma motorway, a project that is part of The European Transport Corridor No IV, is planned to cut through the Kresna Gorge. The motorway is seen by the European Union, as well as the Bulgarian government, as a vital trade and tourism route, and receives funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The motorway will provide a passageway from Germany and Hungary to Greece, and aims to boost the Bulgarian economy. The project, however, will also have some destructive effects for the inhabitants of the gorge and its ecosystem. With the current road in the gorge, lack of proper mitigation has already led to many road kills over the years; with the construction of the new motorway project, animal mortality rate is expected to increase, not just because of direct traffic accidents but also because of the effects of deforestation and habitat loss. The locals in the nearby villages are afraid their shops and livelihoods will be deserted when the motorway opens. They also fear that Kresna will attract fewer tourists and that young residents will migrate to other countries. The motorway will force some of the villagers to lose land and property during the construction, negatively impacting their livelihoods. The European Union financed both the Bulgarian government to build the motorway and the environmental groups that defend the endangered nature through construction. There has been a long battle between the government and construction companies on the one hand and residents and environmental groups on the other. References Canyons and gorges of Bulgaria Landforms of Blagoevgrad Province