Ministry of Environment and Water successfully implemented the project "Knowledge for Natura 2000"

The Directorate "National Service for the Protection of Nature" (NSPN) of the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) successfully completed the implementation of the project "Knowledge for Natura 2000" financed by the Operational Program "Environment 2014 - 2020". Its total value is BGN 4,300,000, of which BGN 3,655,000 is provided by the European Regional Development Fund and BGN 645,000 is national co-financing. The project started in December 2017, and the beneficiary is the Directorate "NSZP" of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

"With the implementation of the project, the Ministry's efforts to ensure effective management of the Natura 2000 network are being upgraded," Deputy Minister Nikolay Sidzhimov said at the opening of the event. He thanked the project management team for their efforts in meeting the challenges during the implementation of Natura 2000 Knowledge.

"Project Knowledge about Natura 2000 is the most large-scale effort carried out in Bulgaria so far to increase public awareness regarding the Natura 2000 network and its goals and the measures by which we achieve these goals," said Miroslav Kalugerov, Director of the Directorate of the National Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Agency and head of the project beneficiary. He added that Bulgaria's contribution is huge within the Natura 2000 ecological network, as 34.9% of the country's territory is included in the network. "This is an extraordinary success and a responsibility of our society to preserve our beautiful nature," added Kalugerov.

The main objectives of the project are to unify initial awareness, upgrade awareness and provide up-to-date and expert information to interested parties about the Natura 2000 network, as well as updating the National Priority Framework for Action (NPFA) under Natura 2000.

As a result of the project activities, the National Priority Framework for Action on Natura 2000 was updated. 3 national campaigns were held to increase support and expand knowledge on managing Natura 2000 in Bulgaria, as well as 3 international forums on topical topics related to Natura 2000.

The national competition "Knowledge for Natura 2000" was held in three editions within the framework of the project with a total of 6,838 participants. An interactive "Quiz" type contest tool was developed for the contests, as an opportunity for citizens and organizations from all regions of Bulgaria to participate. Information about each of the three national online competitions is published on the platform https://natura2000.bg/.

A total of over 3,000 people participated in the three national campaigns, each of which includes one national and 28 regional events. The digital campaign reached 2,077,751 unique users, with 43,266 people visiting the project website www.natura2000.bg.