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Bulgarian Project Wins Natura 2000 Award

Thursday, May 26, 2016

The Bulgarian project “For the Balkans and the people: Nature Protection and Sustainable Rural Development” has won the Socio-Economic Benefits Award in this year’s edition of the Natura 2000 Awards.

Partners from five EU Member States including Bulgaria jointly won the Cross-border Cooperation and Networking Award with a project to preserve the lesser white-fronted goose, Europe’s rarest waterbird, the European Commission has said in a statement.

Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella announced the six winners in the third edition of the Natura 2000 Awards in Brussels on Monday.

Bulgaria received the Socio-Economic Benefits Award “for demonstrating that nature conservation and economic development can go hand-in-hand and are mutually dependant,” the Commission said in a statement.

The initiative implemented by a coalition of partnering NGOs has helped farmers as well as micro- and small enterprises from the Balkan Mountains to market their products and promote eco-tourism. It has also introduced a "Payment for Ecosystem Services” scheme, which ensures that protecting essential grasslands and water ecosystems provides local businesses with economic benefits. Four such schemes were created, and financing from 16 companies was attracted for the restoration of high nature value grasslands and water ecosystems.

In the project to preserve the lesser white-fronted goose partners from Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Finland and Norway have successfully implemented a ‘flyway approach’ covering 15 countries and spanning the entire Eurasian migration path of the waterbird. The project has played a key role in implementing a standardised monitoring programme and securing patrolling and habitat restoration work.

The annual Natura 2000 Awards recognise conservation achievements across the EU and raise awareness about initiatives that protect nature across Europe, benefiting citizens' quality of life as well as the economy on which their prosperity depends.

Source: novinite.com