SmartBirds
Photo: © Stiftung Naturerbe Donau
The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria) has received the prestigious Excellence Award 2026 in recognition of its long-term and dedicated work to conserve the Dalmatian Pelican in Bulgaria. The award acknowledges the organisation’s efforts, together with its partners and volunteers, to restore the species’ breeding colonies, reduce key threats, and protect the internationally important wetlands along the Danube River.
The award was presented on 27 June 2026 at Schloss Grünau in Neuburg an der Donau, Germany, during the Living Danube Awards ceremony organised by the Stiftung Naturerbe Donau (Danube Natural Heritage Foundation). Held every two years around International Danube Day, the awards honour organisations, individuals and initiatives that have made an outstanding contribution to preserving the natural heritage of one of Europe’s most important rivers. The award was accepted on behalf of BSPB by our colleague Svilen Cheshmedzhiev, and presented by the Foundation’s founders, Count Dieter von Brühl and Countess Dr. Maja du Moulin Eckart.
The award represents an important recognition of more than a decade of dedicated conservation work carried out by BSPB together with its partners, local collaborators and volunteers to improve the conservation status of the Dalmatian Pelican in Bulgaria. The species is one of Europe’s most iconic and threatened waterbirds, and its future is closely linked to the health of wetlands—among the continent’s most valuable yet most endangered ecosystems, particularly in the face of climate change.
Over the past decade, the Dalmatian Pelican has become one of Bulgaria’s greatest conservation success stories. Through a combination of nest platform construction and maintenance, regular colony monitoring, satellite tracking, video surveillance, and close cooperation with institutions and local communities, two new breeding colonies have been successfully established and strengthened—on Belene Island and in the Kalimok-Brashlen Protected Area. In 2026, Bulgaria’s breeding population reached a record 171 breeding pairs, the highest number ever recorded in the country since systematic monitoring of the species began in 1955.
The Lower Danube wetlands have played a particularly important role in this success. They provide essential breeding, feeding, resting, migration and wintering habitats not only for the Dalmatian Pelican but also for many other rare and protected bird species. Conserving the pelican is therefore inseparable from the broader mission of protecting and restoring the Danube’s wetlands, floodplain forests, islands and floodplain habitats.
“For me, this award is a highly valued recognition of the many years of dedicated work carried out by BSPB, our partners and volunteers to conserve the Dalmatian Pelican in Bulgaria. As someone directly involved in the conservation of the species, I also see this award as a strong motivation to continue our efforts. The results achieved clearly demonstrate that with perseverance, sound scientific knowledge, successful partnerships and effective field conservation, the recovery of threatened species is possible,” said Svilen Cheshmedzhiev of BSPB.
During the ceremony, several other outstanding conservation initiatives from across the Danube region were also recognised. The DANUBEPARKS Association received the Excellence Award 2026 for the Danube WILD Island Ramsar Regional Initiative, which brings together all ten Danube countries to conserve, restore and promote the sustainable management of wetlands, floodplain forests and river islands along the Danube. Our colleagues from WWF Bulgaria received the Living Danube Award in recognition of their long-standing efforts to conserve sturgeon species.
BSPB would like to express its sincere gratitude to the Stiftung Naturerbe Donau, organiser of the Living Danube Awards, for this distinguished recognition and for its continued commitment to promoting the conservation of the Danube’s natural heritage. This award is an important encouragement that motivates us to continue our work for the conservation of the Dalmatian Pelican, the Danube wetlands and the unique biodiversity of the Danube River.
