The Evidence-based Conservation (EBC) Workshop took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, from June 3 to 6, 2024. The RENATE programme initiated and funded the event, which was hosted by BSPB / BirdLife Bulgaria. RENATE (Recovering Nature in the East) aims to strengthen BirdLife Partners in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, enhancing BirdLife International’s collective impact to protect and restore landscapes across these regions.
The Workshop saw active participation from 12 trainees representing SABUKO / BirdLife Georgia, FPWC / BirdLife Armenia, Doga / BirdLife Turkey, PPNEA / BirdLife Albania, MES / BirdLife North Macedonia and CZIP / BirdLife Montenegro. The event was facilitated by RENATE consultants and coordinator, with experts from BSPB sharing their extensive experience in evidence-based conservation. The trainees were actively involved in the discussions, covering topics from development research questions and planning survey designs to setting indicator species and monitoring schemes, data storage, analysis, interpretation, and finally, publishing results and integrating findings into conservation policy.
The Workshop also served as a platform to test and launch the Self-assessment EBC Toolkit, which is expected to be finalised by the end of this year under the RENATE II programme.
Additionally, the EBC Workshop provided a valuable opportunity for participants and organisations to exchange experiences, ideas and network.