BSPB team participates in international seminar on forensics in wildlife crime in Germany

Dec. 09, 2025

The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) took part in a specialized seminar on wildlife crime investigation organized by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) as part of the wildLIFEcrime project, funded by the European Union's LIFE program. The event brought together experts from Germany, Austria, and other European countries involved in the fight against wildlife crime—illegal shooting, trapping, poisoning, and other illegal practices that threaten protected and rare species.

Participants had the opportunity to learn about the latest methods for investigating such cases – from processing crime scenes and collecting biological evidence to toxicological analyses and the use of modern technologies. The seminar also presented strategies for effective cooperation between nature conservation organizations, scientific institutes, and law enforcement agencies, with the aim of more successfully detecting and punishing crimes against wildlife.

A representative of the "Life for the Falcon" project (LIFE20 NAT/BG/1162) presented the experience of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) in this area and the latest cases of crimes against protected species registered in Bulgaria, as well as the anti-poisoning team with a specially trained dog.

The wildLIFEcrime project brings together 13 partners from Germany and Austria who are working to achieve a sustainable reduction in wildlife crime through modern forensic approaches, training, improvements to the regulatory framework, and better coordination between institutions.