The Project team presented a short publication with all lessons learned during the process of establishing and developing the Public Council for Atanasovsko Lake - a successful tool for community, information and management of the Lake.
The document can be downloaded bellow but is available only in Bulgarian.
Public council for Atanasovsko Lake
Lessons learned from the Public council
Тhe last meeting of the Public council
Тhe 12th last meeting was at the very end of the project - on August 30th in our space "symBiotic". This time, each of the project's experts presented the achievements in their field of work - conservation, communication and interpretation.
Especially for the last meeting of the Council came the director of the BBF, who congratulated the team for the good work and the successful results, realized during the 6-year project Salt of Life. Greeting address was also given by the colleagues from the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Burgas for the good cooperation for this valuable natural territory. The Municipality of Burgas, as well as the other stakeholders involved in the work of the Council, also gave a high score. The Salt of Life Exhibition 2012-2018 was presented to the "symbiotic", as much of the achievements we present have been implemented with the support of our Public Council partners.
The meeting was particularly emotional and exciting - especially for the Salt of Life team.
Especially for the last meeting of the Council came the director of the BBF, who congratulated the team for the good work and the successful results, realized during the 6-year project Salt of Life. Greeting address was also given by the colleagues from the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Burgas for the good cooperation for this valuable natural territory. The Municipality of Burgas, as well as the other stakeholders involved in the work of the Council, also gave a high score. The Salt of Life Exhibition 2012-2018 was presented to the "symbiotic", as much of the achievements we present have been implemented with the support of our Public Council partners.
The meeting was particularly emotional and exciting - especially for the Salt of Life team.
Tenth meeting of the Public council
On the eve of the forthcoming bright holidays, the tenth meeting of our Atanasovsko Lake Public Council, which gathers us twice a year to discuss important issues for the lake and its inhabitants, was held, as well as to discuss hot topics of public interest.
The meeting was on 14 December 2017 (Thursday) at 14:00 in #Hashtag Studio (a cozy cafe on Aboba Street 1. The topic of the council was "The new business card of Atanasovsko lake - changes and the dynamics of the birds".
We gathered again in a new and interesting place, which in the festive spirit is more informal and pleasant as an atmosphere for meetings and discussions. And of course, just before Christmas there were gifts for all participants.
Details here.
The meeting was on 14 December 2017 (Thursday) at 14:00 in #Hashtag Studio (a cozy cafe on Aboba Street 1. The topic of the council was "The new business card of Atanasovsko lake - changes and the dynamics of the birds".
We gathered again in a new and interesting place, which in the festive spirit is more informal and pleasant as an atmosphere for meetings and discussions. And of course, just before Christmas there were gifts for all participants.
Details here.
Ninth meeting of the council
The ninth meeting of the Public Council gathered participants in the Georgi Baev Gallery Hall. The representatives of the District Administration, Burgas Municipality, RIEW Burgas, Burgas Airport, BBF and others discussed issues related to wetland rehabilitation. It was held on July 20, 2017 (Thursday) at 10:00 at the Georgi Baev Gallery on 6th Demokratsia Blvd (just below the entrance to the Sea Garden) and was on the subject "Restoration of wetlands was discussed by the public council for Atanasovsko Lake". Mr. Stoyan Mihov from WWF was a special guest and presented his experience on Danube wetlands.
More details here.
More details here.
Eighth meeting of the Public council
The eighth meeting of the council was on the theme "Challenges of Protected Zone regimes" and took place on 2 November 2016, respecting the tradition of gathering in a new space for Burgas. This time in the Chamalogika Chitalishte, which was opened on 1 September 2016.
Representatives of the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Waters, Municipality of Burgas, BAS, Burgas Airport, MES Regional Inspectorate, Black Sea Salinas, BSPB and others participated. The public council is also open to citizens who are seriously interested in Atanasovsko Lake.
Details can be found here.
The seventh meeting of the Public council
The seventh meeting was held on June 28, 2016 in the open-air classroom in front of the Hide for the observation of birds. Since the theme of the meeting was "Interlagation for the Lagoon" its conduct coincided with the opening of the Avocet Trail.
The Salt of Life project interpreter Diana Pavlova presented the Atanasovsko Lake Interpretation Plan, the program and the planned themes and workshops, which will be actively tested during the summer season with citizens and guests of the town and children from the summer classes. The plan will be sent to the members of the Public Council so that it can be widely used as it is not only focused on the resources available and the activities planned within the Salt of Life. The question of finding volunteers for the Trail was discussed. Ms. Boyadzhieva Deputy Mayor of Burgas Municipality has offered to contact the Municipal Prevention Club, where we can find active young people to be included.
Another change of the Salt Trail was discussed, in connection with the new infrastructure in the Salinas region and the new path, built by the Municipality of Burgas, which connects the Sea Garden and Sarafovo. The project team drew up a new concept for the Trail that includes a 1 km stretch in the Salinas area, where templates will be placed on the asphalt, as well as a new design and repair of the info cubes. The new bicycle lane provides comfort for all cyclists who are actively doing sports or enjoying the magnificent views of the sea and the lake. There is a final conciliation with the Municipality before the groundwork is started by the Pavilion illustrators.
The members of the board received a preliminary presentation of the current status of the lagoon and the progress of the Salt of Life project and discussed the issues raised on the spot.
The Salt of Life project interpreter Diana Pavlova presented the Atanasovsko Lake Interpretation Plan, the program and the planned themes and workshops, which will be actively tested during the summer season with citizens and guests of the town and children from the summer classes. The plan will be sent to the members of the Public Council so that it can be widely used as it is not only focused on the resources available and the activities planned within the Salt of Life. The question of finding volunteers for the Trail was discussed. Ms. Boyadzhieva Deputy Mayor of Burgas Municipality has offered to contact the Municipal Prevention Club, where we can find active young people to be included.
Another change of the Salt Trail was discussed, in connection with the new infrastructure in the Salinas region and the new path, built by the Municipality of Burgas, which connects the Sea Garden and Sarafovo. The project team drew up a new concept for the Trail that includes a 1 km stretch in the Salinas area, where templates will be placed on the asphalt, as well as a new design and repair of the info cubes. The new bicycle lane provides comfort for all cyclists who are actively doing sports or enjoying the magnificent views of the sea and the lake. There is a final conciliation with the Municipality before the groundwork is started by the Pavilion illustrators.
The members of the board received a preliminary presentation of the current status of the lagoon and the progress of the Salt of Life project and discussed the issues raised on the spot.
Sixth meeting of the Public council
On February 16, 2016 at 10.00 am in a new space for Burgas - the Green House on 9, Patriarh Evtimiy Str. was held the sixth meeting of the Public Council for Atanasovsko Lake .
The theme was "Creating suitable places for breeding species in the lagoon". Speaker was Vladimir Mladenov, an ornithologist from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds and Spas Uzunov from the Salt of Life project. One of the most important conservation tasks in Atanasovsko Lake is to provide enough safe places for nesting birds that build their nests and hatch eggs directly on the ground of dikes or artificial islands. What problems are we facing in the course of work and can we find better decisions discussed by the members of the council.
Another important issue related to breeding species was that of active measures against ground predators that destroy eggs and often compromise the breeding season of some species.
The theme was "Creating suitable places for breeding species in the lagoon". Speaker was Vladimir Mladenov, an ornithologist from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds and Spas Uzunov from the Salt of Life project. One of the most important conservation tasks in Atanasovsko Lake is to provide enough safe places for nesting birds that build their nests and hatch eggs directly on the ground of dikes or artificial islands. What problems are we facing in the course of work and can we find better decisions discussed by the members of the council.
Another important issue related to breeding species was that of active measures against ground predators that destroy eggs and often compromise the breeding season of some species.
Fifth meeting of the Public council
On June 30, 2015, the fifth meeting of the Public Council for Atanasovsko lake was held in the Business Incubator Hall in Burgas, 28 Kniaz Al. Battenberg Str.
Behind the complex and difficult to understand headline "Trends in Hydrological and Hydrobiological Conditions in Atanasovsko Lake" are in fact the analyzes and surveys on the condition of the water and the aquatic inhabitants of Atanasovsko lake, which are most rapidly affected by the changed ecological conditions, but their monitoring gives us an opportunity to assess the impact of the Salt of Life project on the inhabitants of the fragile ecosystem of the lagoon.
The good news is that 10km of a 23km bypass channel has already been cleaned as a result of the project. By December, the planned work hs been done ontime, but with the intervention of additional aggravating factors in February 2015 (the discharge of dams over the lake, the huge amount of rain that was poured from September to January, etc.), the situation changed and the consequences for the whole lake were great heavy. 20,000m shafts and 10,000m dikes were destroyed as a result of heavy flooding, but no compensation from the state for the time being. The recovery will be at the expense of Chernomorski Solnitsi Ltd.
It can be seen that the flood risk reduction measures taken through the Salt of Life Project, LIFE + are already working, but until the majority of the activities are completed, the risks will still be high.
It is necessary to act strategically and complexly - something we relied on the updated Management Plan (MP) of the Atanasovsko Lake Reserve, but this was not seen in this version of the MP, which was presented for public discussion in April. We have made over 200 plan adjustments, a very small part of which is reflected by the team making it. We are awaiting the final decision of the MoEW to which we have submitted our proposals.
BBF presented to the Public Council its project "Lagoon in the eye of the drones", funded by a Moto-Pfohe donation program for the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage in Bulgaria and the challenges it faces.
Behind the complex and difficult to understand headline "Trends in Hydrological and Hydrobiological Conditions in Atanasovsko Lake" are in fact the analyzes and surveys on the condition of the water and the aquatic inhabitants of Atanasovsko lake, which are most rapidly affected by the changed ecological conditions, but their monitoring gives us an opportunity to assess the impact of the Salt of Life project on the inhabitants of the fragile ecosystem of the lagoon.
The good news is that 10km of a 23km bypass channel has already been cleaned as a result of the project. By December, the planned work hs been done ontime, but with the intervention of additional aggravating factors in February 2015 (the discharge of dams over the lake, the huge amount of rain that was poured from September to January, etc.), the situation changed and the consequences for the whole lake were great heavy. 20,000m shafts and 10,000m dikes were destroyed as a result of heavy flooding, but no compensation from the state for the time being. The recovery will be at the expense of Chernomorski Solnitsi Ltd.
It can be seen that the flood risk reduction measures taken through the Salt of Life Project, LIFE + are already working, but until the majority of the activities are completed, the risks will still be high.
It is necessary to act strategically and complexly - something we relied on the updated Management Plan (MP) of the Atanasovsko Lake Reserve, but this was not seen in this version of the MP, which was presented for public discussion in April. We have made over 200 plan adjustments, a very small part of which is reflected by the team making it. We are awaiting the final decision of the MoEW to which we have submitted our proposals.
BBF presented to the Public Council its project "Lagoon in the eye of the drones", funded by a Moto-Pfohe donation program for the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage in Bulgaria and the challenges it faces.
4th meeting of the Council
On December 17, 2014 from 15.00 hours in "Tea house" was held the fourth meeting of the Public Council for Atanasovsko lake. The theme this time is "2015 - Year of the lagoon Atanasovsko lake." The team of "Salt of Life" provides for various events related to the lagoon and its biodiversity in 2015 and is willing to promote the lake not only locally, but also nationally.
We started with the presentation of the traditional calendar of the BSE, which this year for the first time is dedicated not to the type of plant or animal, place and then what - Atanasovsko lake. What can you expect briefly throughout the year dedicated to Salt Lake - St. Athanasius on January 18, World Wetlands Day on 2 February, attractive traveling exhibition Atanasovsko lake that will travel throughout the country Path of Avocet and Path of salt will be built in the southern part of the lake, birthday Reserve on August 12, will drone flying over the lagoon and monitor threats for her, Salt Festival in late August, the brigade "Atanasovsko ezero'2015" Carnival of biodiversity in May and others. Special attention will be paid to the lagoon as a subject for photography and for this purpose will be built fotoukritie in the southern part, which can be used by professionals and amateurs, and in the autumn we will hold a national photo-fest, and various exhibitions related the colors and the inhabitants of the lake.
2015 is very important because this is the year in which maintained Reserve will have to have an updated management plan. After more than 10 years the team of the Bulgarian-Swiss program for biodiversity conservation (whose successor is now Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation) prepared the current plan of the reserve, now RIEW Burgas instructed its update within a project funded by the OPE 2007-2013 d . In this respect we were invited and part of the team that developed to discuss together some of the discussion questions in it.
We hope other members of the Public Council to join the initiative on BSE and propose events or events to be included in our common calendar for 2015. In the fourth meeting of the council uchastvahat representatives of RIEW Burgas Municipality, BAS, Burgas Airport , JPL Swan, BSPB, Green Balkans, Black Sea Salt Plc, University "Prof. Asen Zlatarov", the RIE and others.
Diana Kostovska present the current state of the lake and one of his problems at the moment. You can find details in the presentation, which is published below.
We started with the presentation of the traditional calendar of the BSE, which this year for the first time is dedicated not to the type of plant or animal, place and then what - Atanasovsko lake. What can you expect briefly throughout the year dedicated to Salt Lake - St. Athanasius on January 18, World Wetlands Day on 2 February, attractive traveling exhibition Atanasovsko lake that will travel throughout the country Path of Avocet and Path of salt will be built in the southern part of the lake, birthday Reserve on August 12, will drone flying over the lagoon and monitor threats for her, Salt Festival in late August, the brigade "Atanasovsko ezero'2015" Carnival of biodiversity in May and others. Special attention will be paid to the lagoon as a subject for photography and for this purpose will be built fotoukritie in the southern part, which can be used by professionals and amateurs, and in the autumn we will hold a national photo-fest, and various exhibitions related the colors and the inhabitants of the lake.
2015 is very important because this is the year in which maintained Reserve will have to have an updated management plan. After more than 10 years the team of the Bulgarian-Swiss program for biodiversity conservation (whose successor is now Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation) prepared the current plan of the reserve, now RIEW Burgas instructed its update within a project funded by the OPE 2007-2013 d . In this respect we were invited and part of the team that developed to discuss together some of the discussion questions in it.
We hope other members of the Public Council to join the initiative on BSE and propose events or events to be included in our common calendar for 2015. In the fourth meeting of the council uchastvahat representatives of RIEW Burgas Municipality, BAS, Burgas Airport , JPL Swan, BSPB, Green Balkans, Black Sea Salt Plc, University "Prof. Asen Zlatarov", the RIE and others.
Diana Kostovska present the current state of the lake and one of his problems at the moment. You can find details in the presentation, which is published below.
Third meeting of the Council
The third meeting of the Public Council was devoted to the salt production in Atanasovsko Lake. Diyana Kostovska from the Salt of Life project presented brief information about salt mines and sea salt production in Europe, and Deyan Tomov, Chief Technology Expert at "Chernomorski Solnitsi" Ltd. presented the technology of traditional salt production as well as the need for compensatory mechanisms for missed benefits from the restrictions to work due to the status of the managed eserve. Of particular interest was the presentation of the new product, Fleur de Sel t ("Flower of the Salt"), which was first produced last summer by the Salinas.
The BSPB Expert on Agri-Environmental Measures - Edita Diffova presented the study of the possibilities of supporting the traditional production of sea salt in the Mediterranean countries and in Bulgaria. On the one hand, salt production is a mining activity, on the other hand, salt is not an agricultural product and is not harvested in a "rural area", which greatly reduces the compensation possibilities provided by the Rural Development Program.
Presentation of the current state of Atanasovsko lake was made by Diyana Kostovska from BBF. The subsequent discussion between the participants was particularly interesting. Neven Karavasilev from Hunting society "Lebed" - Bourgas raised the question of the ground mass near to the Horse Base and the danger of the channel dumping. It has been discussed the pollution of the domestic-faecal water channel and the difficulties of solving this issue for many years, especially in the last, despite the signals and the inspections.
The problem with the predators was discussed also. There was a new threat to the nesting success of the birds in the lake - the presence of stray cats, which also pose a serious problem, along with dogs, jackals, foxes and even wild pigs (which are already breeding even in the cemetery of Burgas).
The BSPB Expert on Agri-Environmental Measures - Edita Diffova presented the study of the possibilities of supporting the traditional production of sea salt in the Mediterranean countries and in Bulgaria. On the one hand, salt production is a mining activity, on the other hand, salt is not an agricultural product and is not harvested in a "rural area", which greatly reduces the compensation possibilities provided by the Rural Development Program.
Presentation of the current state of Atanasovsko lake was made by Diyana Kostovska from BBF. The subsequent discussion between the participants was particularly interesting. Neven Karavasilev from Hunting society "Lebed" - Bourgas raised the question of the ground mass near to the Horse Base and the danger of the channel dumping. It has been discussed the pollution of the domestic-faecal water channel and the difficulties of solving this issue for many years, especially in the last, despite the signals and the inspections.
The problem with the predators was discussed also. There was a new threat to the nesting success of the birds in the lake - the presence of stray cats, which also pose a serious problem, along with dogs, jackals, foxes and even wild pigs (which are already breeding even in the cemetery of Burgas).