site.btaSpecial Programme at Dragoman Marsh Marks World Wetlands Day

A special programme marks World Wetlands Day on February 2 at Dragoman Marsh, public relations expert at the Balkani Wildlife Society Miroslava Popova told BTA on Sunday.

The Wetlands Conservation Centre in Dragoman welcomes visitors interested in learning about wetlands and the Dragoman Marsh.

The programme starts at 10:30 a.m. with the presentation of the children's educational book The Frog Vitan: How an Adventure Became a Rescue. It is the first educational children's book intertwining storytelling with real-life information about nature, telling the migration story of the mountain frog species Rana temporaria, Popova said. The book's authors include Emilia Zafiraki, who wrote the story, illustrator Yana Kazakova, and scientific consultant Emiliya Vacheva, a biologist and herpetologist.

Following the book presentation, a creative workshop takes place, where children aged 6 to 13 come up with, draw, or write new stories about Frog Vitan.

Between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., visitors have the opportunity to join a guided walk through Dragoman Marsh, organised by Balkani Wildlife Society representatives. Popova noted that the walk is cancelled in case of unfavourable weather conditions, such as rain.

From 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Wetlands Conservation Centre hosts presentations on conservation activities and their impact on the Dragoman Marsh over the past two years.

The programme also includes an introduction to the annual bird-ringing camps held in autumn, as well as an update on the status of cranes in the Dragoman Marsh. Two years ago, scientists recorded crane nesting in Bulgaria for the first time in over 60 years, Popova said.

Visitors also have the chance to view camera trap photos capturing intriguing moments from the marsh’s wildlife, she added.

The programme is part of the international WaterLANDS project, in partnership with WWF Bulgaria. The project focuses on restoring six wetlands across Europe that were destroyed due to human activity and are now being rehabilitated. Dragoman Marsh in Bulgaria is a strong example of reviving a drained wetland where life had disappeared for years, Popova said.

As drainage stopped in the 1990s, water gradually returned, bringing life back to the marsh. Through the project, efforts contribute to the sustainable management of the site and its future, she noted.

The project, which began in 2021, facilitates the exchange of experience and best practices for the sustainable management of wetlands, ensuring they continue to provide essential habitats for diverse plant and animal species, Popova said.

It also includes restoring visitor infrastructure, as the 2020 fire destroyed up to 80% of the marsh's vegetation and part of the facilities that had been built, she added.

Earlier on Sunday, BTA's Borislava Bibinovska interviewed ichthyologist Stoyan Mihov, chief expert at WWF Bulgaria, and Petar Yankov, conservation officer at the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. The interview was on the occasion of the World Wetlands Day, February 2.