Princess presents top conservation accolade to Bulgaria’s Emil Todorov - news from the Whitley Fund for Nature

LONDON, UK: 13 MAY 2009 - HRH The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) tonight presented one of the world’s top prizes for grassroots nature conservation – a Whitley Award – to Emil Todorov of Bulgaria (BSPB), for his work with communities along the lower reaches of Europe’s longest river, the Danube, safeguarding many thousands of migratory and breeding birds.

Emil Todorov, the Svishtov-based regional co-ordinator of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, received his honour during a ceremony held at the Royal Geographical Society, London, and hosted by The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) – the UK-based charity which administers the international awards programme.

His prize includes a Whitley Award project grant of £30,000 - donated by Paula and Mario Frering - an engraved trophy, membership of an influential network of Whitley Award winners and opportunities to apply for WFN Continuation Funding,.

The award recognises Mr Todorov’s efforts to create new nature sanctuaries, and win better protection, for the vast flocks of birds, which use the Danube and its wetlands as a breeding ground and migration highway.

Brussels grants Bulgaria 2 million euros for bird protection

Recently the project “Protection of the Imperial Eagle and the Saker Falcon and their habitats” of the Bulgarian Bird Protection Society /BBPS/ has received financing from the EU amounting to 2 million euros. This is the only Bulgarian project out of the total of 143 launched in 2008 under the EU's “Life+” program. Work on the project will start in 2009 and will continue until 2013.  Most people would say – we need money while you are spending it on birds,” says Dr. Petar Yankov from the BBPS. I think there are enough funding provided for Bulgaria and for people. Our aim is to work for biological diversity for the sake of mankind, of course. The project is one of the largest scale projects for the preservation of biological diversity in Bulgaria so far. The project has been worked out by the Bulgarian Bird Protection Society and the Royal Society for Bird Protection in the UK. However, it would have been impossible without the partnership of the “Central Balkan” National Park, the Wild Flora and Fauna Fund and Bird life International in the face of our colleagues from Hungary. We have been working together for more than 10 years on various projects for bird protection. The Hungarian experience in the protection of the Saker Falcon and the Imperial Eagle would be applied in this project.”

Three-Toed Woodpecker habitat continues to be destroyed in Rila.

More than 170,000 people have signed a petition against the ongoing illegal construction in Bulgaria's mountains, a delegation of 6 members of the European Parliament visited the  Rila mountain in order to confirm the illegal logging and habitat destruction. The delegation was  led by the EU Chairman of the Petitions Committee, Martin Libicki. Environmentalists were satisfied that the MEPs could personally see that construction near the resort of Panichishte continues despite a ban put into place by  Bulgaria's Minister of Environment, Dzhevdet Chakurov.

Environmentalists often say only the EU has power to force the government to protect Bulgaria's nature or face further sanctions and fines..

Birds Australia Northern NSW Club donates A$150.00 towards conservation projects in Bulgaria.

Bucks County Birders Presents Program on Birding in Bulgaria: 27 May 2008.

“Bulgarian Birding Adventure” by JoAnn Raine and Yoav Chudnoff. 

JoAnn Raine, along with Yoav Chudnoff, will present this program. JoAnn has traveled widely here in the States pursuing her hobby and is the Secretary for Bucks County Birders. Yoav represents The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds in the United States. The primary guide on the trip was Gerard Gorman, a well-respected European birder; the local guide was Mladen Vasilev of the BSPB. A complete article on this trip can be found in the autumn 2007 issue (Vol 4, No.3) of The Kingfisher. For additional information: BCB

Photo by Earl Harrison.

Bucks County Birders donated $150.00 towards IMPERIAL EAGLE Conservation

Important Bird Areas in Bulgaria

Each Month we will list eight Bulgarian Important Bird Areas:

Facts about the Bulgarian 114 IBAs:

• All the European White Pelicans, almost all (over 70 %) of the world’s White Storks and over the half of the nesting in Europe Lesser Spotted Eagles are using the Via Pontica flyway following the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. On their journey they pass over 18 internationally important IBAs.

• 75% of the population of Red-breasted Goose spend the winter at two of the North Black Sea Coast IBAs – Shabla Lake Complex and Durankulak. Both of these zones were not included into the approved by the Council of Ministers NATURA 200 list.

• Nine of the Bulgarian IBAs hold 17% of the EU population of the Imperial Eagle. At present it looks like five of these zones will not receive the NATURA 2000 protection. Among them are Sakar and West Strandzha where almost all of the known nests in Bulgaria are situated.

• The situation with Semi-collared Flycatcher in the Balkan Mountain is similar - 61% of the EU population of the species is concentrated in ten of the IBAs there and six of these were not approved by the Council of Ministers. Kamchia Complex where the densest population of Semi-collared Flycatcher is based was left outside the official NATURA 2000 list.