The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2000 - Bulgaria

Celebration of World Wetlands Day in Bulgaria

Bulgarian-Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Program
"Bourgas Wetlands" Project
Burgas 8000 , P.O. Box. 167
tel. ++359 56 4 92 55
e-mail: burgaswet@bsbg.net

"Bourgas Wetlands" Project organized some special activities for the World Wetlands day:

1. We distributed materials for the Ramsar Convention, new AEWA-Agreement and World Wetlands Day among the Nature conservation organization in Bulgaria by e-mail and invited them to Bourgas and for participation in their own regions.

2. Together with the Ministry of Environment and Water and "Green Balkans" Federation we held a press conference in Sofia for Midwinter counts, international importance of the Bulgarian wetlands and World Wetlands Day – on 1^st of February.

3. Exhibition with posters for the wetlands was open officially on 2^nd of February in National History Museum - Sofia.

4. The Regional Inspection of the Environment and Water (RIEW) – Bourgas published with our help a material for the Ramsar Convention in the local media.

5. On the 2^nd of February we organized bird watching of protected area Poda. We celebrated the World Wetlands Day in the Nature Conservation center "Poda". The event was mutual venture between our project, RIEW-Bourgas and the Bulgarian Society for the protection of birds. We invited many journalists from the local media and our colleagues and friends from Bourgas.

• The Regional coordinator – L. Profirov presented the Ramsar convention and the value of the wetlands, situated around the city.
• The manager of the "Poda" Center – M. Filev welcomed the guests and presents the opportunities of the small wetland Poda and of the Center.
• The Wetlands of Ropotamo reserve – Arkutino (Ramsar site), Alepu and Stamopolu marshes, were presented with photos and a board.
• Congratulations were submitted from the Director of RIEW-Burgas and the Chief of "Ecology" Department of the Municipality.
• We promoted the film of the project – "Via Pontica’99". The last summer we made this film, especially for the students’ brigade and autumn migration at Atanasovsko and Vaya Lakes. The film also presents the beauty of the lakes and some of their inhabitants.
• An exhibition was prepared for the wetlands in the halls of the Center. We presented more than 40 posters from 10 countries all over the world. The idea was to convince the Bourgas citizens and students that wetlands are very important for the whole world and everywhere the nature conservation organizations make efforts to produce different materials for popularizing the wetlands.
• A special panel for the Ramsar Convention and World Wetlands Day was prepared thanks to the materials that we received from Ramsar Bureau and AEWA – Agreement.
• Slide-film "Salt paradise" for Lake Atanasovsko - Ramsar site was presented.

More than 50 people took part at the celebration in "Poda" Center, including few Americans from California (guests of the Municipality Bourgas).

6. A special TV program on the local television and local radio station for the World Wetlands Day and Bourgas wetlands.

We hope that for the 30 Anniversary of the Ramsar convention we will announce a new Ramsar site – Lake Mandra (including "Poda" Protected site and Visitor center) and Lake Vaya.

"Bourgas Wetlands" Project:

Radostina Tzenova – Public Relations officer
Lyubo Profirov – Regional coordinator

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 7 February 2000, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.