Partners’ Meeting for the Life for Falcon Project Held in Sofia

At the beginning of February, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) organized a partners’ meeting for the Life for Falcon project. The meeting aimed to summarize the progress made so far across various project activities and outline future steps in different areas leading up to the project’s completion.

The event brought together representatives from BSPB, Green Balkans, the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBER-BAS), the Union of Hunters and Anglers in Bulgaria (UHAB), the Romanian Ornithological Society, and the Habitats Foundation.

Over the course of two days, the partners discussed achievements, completed steps, and challenges encountered during the implementation of the planned measures. Special attention was given to developing and aligning work plans for the current year.

So far, the project’s international team has achieved several significant milestones, including: a 50% increase in the population of Saker falcons in Bulgaria and southern Romania; the isolation of 300 power poles dangerous to birds; the installation of nearly 120 nest boxes; the preservation of 760 decares of valuable habitats; establishing cooperation with the pigeon breeding community to reduce conflicts with birds of prey; the first successful breeding of the Romanian hamster in laboratory conditions, preparing for the release of young animals into the wild.

Photos: Dimitar Gradinarov/BSPB