The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2004 -- Bulgaria

BULGARIAN SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS P.O. Box 50, 1111 Sofia, Bulgaria telephone (+359 2) 971 58 55, fax (+359 2) 971 58 56 e-mail: bspb_hq@bspb.org, www.bspb.org BULSTAT 121244539

Celebrating the WORLD WETLANDS DAY 2.2.2004

Dear colleagues,

Please find herewith the activities planned by the BSPB\BirdLife Bulgaria for the World Wetlands Day in Bulgaria:

2 February - from Vitosha Mountain to the Black Sea Coast

This year the World celebrates the World Wetlands Day (2 February) under the motto "From the mountains to the sea -- Wetlands at work for us". That is why the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BirdLife International's Partner organization in Bulgaria) also will celebrate the Day from the Vitosha Mountain to the Black Sea Coast. Every Regional office of BSPB will organize something interesting for the celebration for the local public.

Probably the most interesting place will be the wetland's city of Bourgas. A year after the successful designation of 5 new Ramsar Sites, volunteers continue to cherish Atanasovsko Lake, Vaya, Pomorie Lake, Poda Lagoon, Ropotamo. For the members and friends of BSPB an excursion to a close Ramsar area - Atanasovsko Lake Reserve will be organized for birdwatching.

On February 2nd in the Natural History museum hosts an unusual competition for school-children. The kids will discover the inhabitants of the wetlands. School teams will perform plays and will present the characteristic features of selected Ramsar sites using their fantasy - costumes, dance, and panthomimes. Especially for the WW Day a leaflet presenting Ramsar sites in the Bourgas region was printed. It was made by BSPB and BBF - Bourgas Wetlands Project.
The Poda Nature conservation center started the celebration form January 29th - 90 students from Dubnik School visited the Center and the Protected area. They took part in the quiz about Pomorie Lake (Razmar site) and received gifts from the Center's staff. A group of English Birdwatchers also visited the Center and discovered the new exhibition for the Bourgas Ramsar areas.

In Haskovo a special exhibition for the wetlands will be presented on February 2nd, as well as lecture for the Bulgarian Ramsar sites. Special accent will be put on Srebarna and Atanasovsko Lake Reserves. Haskovo's schools were already invited for the event.

For the towns of Svistov and Belene common activities will be organized - leaflet for the local Ramsar site, prepared by the volunteers will be distributed, as well as video film and information materials. For the students an excursion to Danube River will be organized on February 7th.

In Sofia, BSPB and the Ministry of Environment and Waters are hosting a special press conference where the latest information on wetlands and Mid-winter numbers of waterfowl will be reported.

To all friends of Ramsar areas and their inhabitants we wish happy celebration, interesting observations and new knowledge.

Radostina Tzenova,
Regional Coordinator
Bourgas bourgas@bspb.org, www.bspb.org

For further information about World Wetlands Day or the 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 3 February 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.