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CONSERVATION OF PYGMY CORMORANT

During the winter of 2004-2005 a project for evaluation the threats to the wintering population of the globally-threatened Pygmy Cormorant along Maritsa River (Southern Bulgaria) was carried out by volunteers of Balkani Wildlife Society (http://www.balkani.org) and the Bulgarian Ornithological Centre (Institute of zoology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). 
Pygmy Cormorants are very conservative to their wintering grounds and night roosts. The intensified illegal hunting, human disturbance, habitat degradation and generally negative attitude towards fish eating birds could be the reasons for the regular disturbance and disappearance of some of the Pygmy Cormorant night roosts along Maritsa River. Since the year 2000, the species is no longer breeding in the Thrace Plain. Low nature conservation awareness and lack of good system of control jeopardise the future of the Pygmy Cormorants.
Led by experienced ornithologists, volunteers guarded and made surveys of the highly vulnerable Pygmy Cormorant night roosts and weekly monitored a 28 km section of Maritsa River. The ornithologists trained the volunteers bird identification/survey techniques and collected valuable data about the ecology of the Pygmy Cormorant. On the other hand an educational programme started in local schools.
Pygmy Cormorant ConservationThe implementation of the project has contributed to:
- Direct protection measures for the Pygmy Cormorant's night roosts and feeding grounds (the place has been declared an Important Bird Area!).
- Creating an educated in environment protection and field surveys voluntary conservation patrol unit.
- Habitat restoration with the local youth, creating personal attitude towards nature conservation (planting trees was carried out).
- Raising the public awareness as part of the educational programme (explaining hunters and Pygmy Cormorant Conservationfishermen not to disturb the feeding and roosting birds).
  - Capacity building of the involved environmental NGOs with more experienced   members.
  - Gathering of urgently needed data about Pygmy Cormorants ecology which  together with the outlined threats will define future conservation activities in the area.
 - Publishing an interpretative brochure on the ecological requirements and the protection of the Pygmy Cormorant.
 - Preparing an archive of movie flashes for the wintering Pygmy Cormorants, presenting their roosting and feeding sites, existing and potential threats, behavioural patterns etc. It will be used for the educational activities in the schools and for raising public awareness by local TV stations.
 - Advertising the place to eco-tourists and the sustainable tourism as a key for subsidizing the local economy.



"As a coordinator of a Rufford Small Grants' project for Pygmy Cormorant conservation, I am running activities for protecting the biggest Pygmy Cormorant night roost in Bulgaria and also for involving volunteers and local youth into restoring riparian habitats. I want to express my gratitude to Penguin Travel for co-funding my work. Placing a sign near the night roost, purchasing and planting trees and methodical monitoring of the feeding grounds of the Pygmies were all made possible by the Danish tour operator. Our environmental NGO, Balkani Wildlife Society, is looking forward for future cooperation work in the field of mitigation of the human-predator conflict."












 

Svetoslav Sergeev Velkov
Wetland Conservation Manager
Balkani Wildlife Society
http://www.balkani.org

 

http://www.birdwatchingbulgaria.com