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 the species that depended on them.
In 2016 Ecopark Vaya began planting suitable parts of the site with native tree species characteristic of liman forests. The choice was a matter of principle: not fast-growing ornamental or foreign species, but trees that naturally belong to this place and can live with the wet soil, the salty winds and the changing water level.
The reason for choosing native species is simple. Native trees are linked to native insects, birds and fungi through relationships built up over thousands of years. Their roots stabilise the banks, their crowns shade and cool the water, and their fallen leaves feed the soil and the aquatic organisms. Foreign species may grow quickly, but they rarely give nature what it needs.
The planting was carried out in stages over the following years. The saplings were planted by hand, watered and protected during their first years, when young trees are most vulnerable to drought, grazing animals and rampant grass. It is work that demands patience – a forest is not created in a season, but over decades.
The activity was carried out with our own funds and labour, without external financing. It is part of the overall philosophy of Ecopark Vaya: instead of seeking a quick and visible effect, to restore the natural connections in nature, even when the result will only become visible many years later.
Today the young trees already form green belts along the water and are gradually becoming places for nesting, shelter and food for the birds and other inhabitants of the ecopark. With every passing year they come closer to what nature itself would have created here, had it been given the chance.
Project summary
Project: Planting native species suited to liman forests
Year: 2016, continuing in the following years
Location: Ecopark Vaya
Activity: selection and planting of native tree species, care for the saplings, creation of forest belts along the water
Funding: own funds and volunteer work
Status: completed, ongoing
Photo: GreenForce Staffing / Unsplash