British-Bulgarian Friendship Society
Other Donations
The British-Bulgarian Friendship Society’s programme of special interest tours, which focus on birdwatching and natural history, produces an income which is given away to a variety of conservation and educational causes.
Since 2000 our tours have produced over £15,000 in donations to the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds
The BBFS and the Imperial Eagle: the Well Project Villagers near Topolovgrad actively co-operated with the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds to protect nesting Imperial Eagles, a globally threatened species. The BBFS, using funds generated by its tours, wanted to thank them in a practical way. It was decided to restore the damaged water supply to their fields. The result is splendid: the water is pure and delicious, the well is functional and enhanced by the picture of the eagle and the inscription commemorating Maurice Waterhouse, who had the idea of this wonderful project.
The Seed Bank at Dobrinishte This project aims
to teach local people to grow medicinal plants rather than picking
them in the wild. Seeds of rare or threatened plants can be provided
for medical purposes. When numbers permit, plants can be
reintroduced to the wild.
Children in the village will participate in the gardening and learn
about plants and conservation. There is a need for this kind of
education, as people are often unaware of the fragility and small
numbers of their local flora. The BBFS has donated over £4,500 to
this project since 2005.
Green Balkans The BBFS was recently introduced to Green Balkans. We were impressed by its conservation projects, the bird and mammal rescue centre at Stara Zagora and its co-operation with the newly created Belozem reserve. We gave a donation to provide an information board there.
