World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on February 2, the day the Wetlands Convention was adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The event aims to raise global awareness of the vital role of wetlands for humans and the planet. Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or is present in...
Amphibians are among the most threatened groups of animals in the world. They need both clean water in which to breed and moist, shady shelter on land in which to live for the rest of the year. When one of the two is missing, they disappear – quietly and almost unnoticed. In 2020 one of...
A magical place near Burgas offers a bunch of opportunities for alternative tourism. 15 minutes from the noise of the city, the visitors to Ecopark Vaya have direct access to nature as we must preserve it. Even a simple walk to this little-known place, which is located right next to Bourgas, can charge everyone with...
Lake Burgas is home to nearly 270 bird species, and during migration and wintering more than 100,000 waterbirds gather here. Lying on the Via Pontica migration route, the lake is one of the most important birdwatching sites in Bulgaria. Naturally, bird lovers, photographers and scientists come here. But birdwatching requires one basic condition: the birds...
The river crayfish and the lake crayfish are natural inhabitants of Bulgaria’s rivers, lakes and marshes. Once widespread, today they are increasingly rare – because of water pollution, habitat destruction and diseases brought in with foreign crayfish species. Where crayfish still live, the water is clean. Their presence is therefore one of the most reliable...
To all colleagues, volunteers, followers and nature lovers, Via Pontica Foundation and Ecopark for Biodiversity and Alternative Tourism Vaya are presenting their latest venture: “Ecopower” competition for the most interesting comic bookTopic: Superheroes in Wetlands and the Environment conservation In line with the Foundation’s activities as part of the CEPA National Focal Point in Bulgaria...
The wetlands along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast were once bordered by estuarine (liman) and riverside forests – moisture-loving woods adapted to high groundwater, periodic flooding and the closeness of the sea. Most of these forests disappeared during the twentieth century together with the draining of marshes and lakes, and with them went many of...
Not every tree in Ecopark Vaya was planted for people. In 2016 fruit trees – apples, pears, mulberries and plums – were planted on the site with a single purpose: to feed the birds. The trees were chosen with care. We opted for local, non-hybrid varieties – the old Bulgarian fruit trees that grew for...
Bees are among the most sensitive inhabitants of any environment. Where there are healthy bees, there is clean nature, diverse vegetation and enough flowers throughout the season. So when an apiary was set up in Ecopark Vaya in 2019, it was not only an economic step but a conservation one. The apiary was placed in...
