A collaborative guide: from people to people
This book is a collaborative guide to the authentic conservation holidays in Bulgaria focused on the protection of birds habitats.
The word 'collaborative' implies that it has been compiled with interviews of over 30 participants of the conservation activities in different Bulgarian regions. And, of cause, I personally participated in all the projects and tried all the digital tools I offer.
Over 3000 of people have already downloaded the book (English and bulgarian versions) and the guide has been recognised by various prestigious awards. In 2022, it brought me a victory in the Bulgarian National Contest in Green Journalism. In 2023, the photo of the oldest Bulgarian volunteer vacation Atanasovsko Camp got the first prize in the Bulgarian National Festival of Public Art Civil Alarm.
Being part of the final stage of my 2-year-long research Mapping Sustainable Holidays in Bulgaria, this guide is implemented in the framework of sociosemiotic ethnography and participatory action research.
This research was partly funded by the Bulgarian Fund for Women in the framework of the Programme Gender Equality and Climate Justice 2021 implemented with the financial support of the Open Society Institute - Sofia and the Open Society Foundations.
Promoting volunteer successes
The goal of my study was twofold – to promote the achievements of the strongest in Bulgaria volunteer network and to train the volunteers to communicate about their successes, as well as to reflect them on the CVs.
The project consisted of interviews, workshops, and specially prepared articles and videos. All the individuals who shared their experiences in this book have different social and professional backgrounds (schoolchildren, ecologists, economists, academics, and ordinary nature-lovers from all over Bulgaria).
Yet they share a remarkable similarity: those people are keepers and developers of the original Bulgarian 30-year-long tradition – the preservation of birds habitats in the framework of conservation vacations.
Driven by the desire to support good causes, hundreds of volunteers every year willingly donate their holiday time to preserving birds habitats and exploring natural beauties together with like-minded companions.
Discovering new meanings of old places
Overall, this guide presents over ten different projects related to bird watching and lots of online tools useful both for birders and nature lovers.
The most salient initiatives are the two oldest Bulgarian bird-watching vacations in Pomorie and Burgas, the largest Bulgarian citizen science project in Durankulak, the original Wildlife Rescue Centre focused on extinct species reintroduction in Stara Zagora, one bird walk in Sofia, and the nature reserve Sinite Kamani in Kotel.
How can the reader benefit from this diversity? It is wise to consider the remark of Petar Yankov, one of the founders of the Atanasovsko Lake Camp, academic and ornithologist: 'We don't give people fish, we teach them how to catch it'.
From my experience, I can add - simply regard each project like a game where you can score more or less but never lose. Some of the bonuses are working for good causes with like-minded people, learning about nature, and discovering new meanings of old places.
The Islands of Hope for Birds and People
In every chapter, in their own words, the volunteers and organizers share insights into the conservation projects, which offer various comfortable options for collaborative learning for people of different ages and social backgrounds (lectures, workshops, meetings with environmentalists, conservation activities, etc.).
The presented initiatives vary in the major tasks that require about 40 per cent of the time of the volunteers. The oldest projects - the Atanasovsko Lake Camp (33 years) and the Pomorie Lake Volunteer Brigade (26 years) - focus on the reconstruction of artificial islands for pelicans and sandwich terns, respectively.
The newest one – Durankulak Bird-Ringing Camp, set up just three years ago - is devoted to bird monitoring during the autumn bird migration.
In contrast to the rest initiatives of this book, the Stara Zagora Wildlife Rescue Centre is not specialized in conservation vacations at all. However, its unique educational activities provide a rich source of positive experiences - learning and entertainment. It is due to the opportunities to interact with different wild birds on the spot.
Why write about birding activities and enthusiasts?
The desire to write this book in such an unusual manner - together with my teammates - stems from my interest in bird-watching and its potential for communities. This enthusiasm is twofold - personal and professional.
I live on the busiest Bulgarian birds' spot - the second largest in Europe bird migration route Via Pontica (Burgas region) - and actively participate in plenty of birding activities: from an educational Bird ID course to conservational projects.
Additionally, I explore the meanings of birds for people by writing posts for my blog and preparing different communication workshops for volunteers in collaboration with environmental organizations.
My favourite tasks are related to the artificial islands for birds on Pomorie and Atanasovsko Lakes, which we seasonally reconstruct for the nesting season. Those small pieces of land are signs of hope both for birds and people.
They make part of the busy international resorts but lay off the beaten track, so very few people know about their existence and purpose. Yet, it is a great pleasure to spend some time there and see the cities and life from different perspectives.
The necessity of the regular maintenance of the islands implies work at the intersection of urbanization and nature conservation. It encourages people to reconsider their role in both processes. Undoubtedly, it would be valuable for many to engage in such work from time to time.
I intend this manual on sustainable pastimes with birds for ordinary nature-lovers who enjoy new meaningful activities and environmental professionals that deal with volunteers. With this book I share just some of the valuable insights I gained. I also want to offer some food for though about original sustainable pastimes useful for discovering new dimensions of life.