A wetland with nearly 270 bird species, dozens of species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, and more than 90 plant species is a natural laboratory. Since its opening, Ecopark Vaya has opened its doors to those who want to study nature – students, scientists and volunteers.
Much of the research is carried out by students and by volunteers of Green Balkans, who conduct observations and surveys on the territory of the ecopark. The ecopark provides them with working conditions – free access to the site, use of the birdwatching hides, movement across the ponds and logistical support in the field.
There is a clear reason for this support. The exact number and composition of the birds and other species in the ecopark are still not sufficiently studied, and without data there can be no real conservation. Every study carried out at Vaya fills a gap in our knowledge of one of the most important wetlands in Bulgaria.
Part of the scientific work at Vaya also has a wider significance. Through the Via Pontica Foundation, the restored habitats of the ecopark are the subject of long-term monitoring that combines regular field observations with satellite analysis, in order to measure the role of the restored wetland in storing carbon.
The ecopark receives no funding for this activity. The conditions for researchers are provided from our own funds, because knowledge about nature is an investment that repays itself many times over.
Every student who spends a season at Vaya with binoculars and a notebook leaves not only with data, but with a bond to this place. And nature needs exactly such people.
Project summary
Project: Support for scientific research and volunteering
Year: from 2020 to the present
Location: Ecopark Vaya
Activity: providing conditions for surveys by students, scientists and Green Balkans volunteers; long-term monitoring of the restored habitats
Funding: own funds
Status: ongoing
Photo: Kayla Farmer / Unsplash