site.btaWWF: As Usual, Bulgaria Was Active Sharer in Earth Hour Event

By tradition, Bulgaria actively joined the celebration of Earth Hour on Saturday evening, WWF Bulgaria said on Sunday.

BTA was a media partner of the campaign and switched off its lights between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.

Hundreds of people countrywide dedicated at least one hour of their time to the planet, accepting the WWF challenge and joining some of the activities to reconnect with nature. Some rode their bikes, others relished a new menu of seasonal or local products, and still others indulged in nature photography or volunteer action. Quite a few people enjoyed David Attenborough's Our Planet series. Thanks to the enthusiasm of nature devotees, Bulgaria gave the planet nearly 4,000 hours, setting an example of responsibility and affection for Earth as our common home, the ecologist organization said.

Other citizens attended charity screenings of the Kung Fu Panda 4 animated cartoon, organized by WWF and Cinema City. The proceeds will be donated to WWF to support their efforts to rescue more orphaned bear cubs and bring back home Nikola, Aneta and Misho.

"For years, we have been working for the conservation of Bulgarian forests, water, wildlife and protected areas, we seek to help mitigate the effects of climate change and to inspire young people in this country to do the same," WWF Bulgaria CEO Vesselina Kavrakova said, quoted in the press release.

She detailed the WWF experts' dedication to conserving age-old forests in Bulgaria, halting illegal felling, restoring riverside ecosystems, and planting climate-change-resistant local tree species. They seek to protect endangered river fish species like sturgeons, to restore degraded wetlands, to keep rivers flowing, to expand protect areas and build resilience to the changing climate. The WWF rescue team helps the effort to prevent conflicts between bears and humans. The organization's team is also focused on decarbonization of the energy sector and industry and the implementation of an innovative circular economy without greenhouse emissions and waste. The WWF will also be working for the passage of better functioning legislation on nature conservation. One of their major success stories is the conservation of the Pirin National Park.