The first Management Plan for a protected territory in Bulgaria

Within our project funded by the Bulgarian-Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Programme we drew up the first Management Plan for a protected territory in Bulgaria for Poda Protected Area. The Management Plan was ahead of its time: the Ministry of Environment and Water issued an instruction for the preparation of such plans for the other protected territories in Bulgaria more than a year later.

Contribution for the first national programme for biological monitoring

The BSPB was the only nature conservation organization invited to take part in the development of the first national programme for biological monitoring.

Mapping of the breeding bird species in Bulgaria

We initiated a large-scale mapping initiative for the breeding birds in Bulgaria that led to the publication of the first national Atlas of Breeding Birds in Bulgaria. The information in it put bird science in the country on a new foundation and played a key role in the ongoing process of identification of important bird areas in Bulgaria and the preparation of policies for their management and protection.

The first Henry Ford European Conservation Award in Bulgaria

For the first time in Bulgaria, the BSPB’s Poda Nature Conservation Centre was granted the award for conservation for the effort to preserve Poda Protected Area.

The British Embassy in Sofia – the first corporate member of the BSPB

The BSPB welcomed our first corporate member – the British Embassy in Sofia. Subsequently, ING Bank and the Atlantic Club also became corporate members.

Stop the international trafficking of endangered animal species

Thanks to efforts by the BSPB the Bulgarian national airline Balkan joined the international embargo on transporting wild birds. This was a significant step in the fight against illegal trafficking of endangered animals, in a moment when Bulgaria was at a crossroad.