1.2. Improving the capacity for nature protection, sustainable use and management of common natural resources through cooperation initiatives in the cross-border area

The project focuses on the joint initiatives related to the conservation and improvement of the quality of natural resources - air, water and soil in the cross-border region. For this purpose, a series of best practices related to the formation of resource and capacity building among people about preservation and management of physical and biological purity of the main components of the natural environment in the cross-border region will be implemented, through education, information, counselling and motivation for the implementation of ecological and organic farming to ensure safe and consistent natural life.
Planned project activities varied and include questionnaires, elaboration of an information brochure, trainings, exchange visits, web site creation, design and distribution of materials, organisations of international forums and a conference named "The importance of growing organic products”.
The implementation of the project will contribute to raising the awareness of nature conservation among women entrepreneurs, experts from public institutions and farmers in the region of Yambol and Edirne.

The project focuses on determination of the situation of European red wood ants in the cross border areas by revealing the nest numbers and distributions which will also provide necessary data for updating IUCN and national red list data, as well presentation of a species action plan and conservation program which will be used for future new project ideas particularly in protected areas of CB region; to train people in both sides to increase the knowledge and awareness and to build capacity of experts, scientists, civil servants, etc. and could be used in future initiatives and projects.
Within the project field studies and laboratory tests will be carried out on the territory of Burgas region and Kirklareli province, as well as the necessary equipment will be purchased to carry out the researches. The purpose is to elucidate nest inventory, nest ecology and distributional patterns of European red wood ant. All of the features of the nests will be recorded on the nest ID card. By doing morphological measurements the ecomorphs of this species in the region will be clarified so that protection schemes can be developed accordingly.
The results of the project will provide new data for updating the red lists and an action plan and conservation program for the species will be developed. The project will contribute to biological control studies and nest transplantation works since European red wood ants is a good biological control agent on Lymandria dispar caterpillars which are the most destructive insect on oak forests of Strandzha mountains.

Project status: completed

The beneficary carried out 4 field studies and intensive laboratory works in cooperation of experts from both countries for nest inventory studies and possible ecomorphs. The results indicated the existence of 35 European red wood ant nests in Turkish zonal areas of Strandzha Mountain whilst the number of nests found on the Bulgarian side is 8. This number is very low, revealing that the nests of this species may soon disappear if the necessary conservation measures are not taken. The preferred habitats of F. pratensis were plotted on digital maps. We also obtained morphological measurements for each specimen from the nests under a stereomicroscope whether or not they constitute ecomorphs. For habitat Inventory and conservation purposes the GPS coordinates, mound shapes and sizes and habitat details/types of determined colonies were recorded individually in colony identification cards. Colonies most vulnerable to any kind of threat were covered with steel nets for protection. An information plate about the species was fixed on one side of the nets. Local people where field studies were performed were also informed about the presence and importance of the species. Besides, threats to habitats were noted.

website of the project: https://www.europeanredwoodants.eu/en/

video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G3ShrN7Kb8

The main objective of the project is study and conservation of wild orchids native to Strandzha mountain.

The study will be conducted by a specialized software and implementing an innovative method for monitoring habitats and species.

Within the project there will be implemented field surveys  in the regions around Malko Tarnovo (Bulgaria) and Demirköy (Turkey). Development and implementation of specialized software, which will work with the collected and updated information about orchids in Strandzha is envisaed. The information about orchids includes a picture, coordinates, description and size of the population in Strandzha region. The software will allow appending new data aiming at increased sustainability of the results and effective monitoring. Within the  project a training for foresters, botanists and other stakeholders will be organized for usage of the new software in the field.

Regional Forest Directorates will be equipped with tablets containing the installed software.

As a result of the joint study on species composition, population, status and habitat of orchids in Strandzha there will be created and published a list of orchid species occurring in the territory of Strandzha.
Implementation of the project will contrubute to improvement of cooperation in preservation of wild orchids in the corss-border region and exchange of know-how and experience.

Project status: Finished

Most commonly, the word "orchid" is associated with exotic, tropical destinations, jungles and adventures. Outside the scientific, botanical circles, few people know that the Orchids are the second largest family of over 23,000 species, of which over 200 are found in Europe. The special geographic location of Strandzha, the specific climatic conditions and its paleontological past (lack of ice in the Quaternary) are the reasons that floristic elements could be seen in the mountain and the combination of which is unique for Europe. So it is no wonder that there is also a great variety of orchids. Due to their biological and ecological features, orchids are suitable for use as indicator species for the habitat status they are encountering. However, the difficulties in recognizing them in the field exclude them from most monitoring programs and methodologies. For this reason, orchids are often unchecked and unprotected. Our project is about the development and implementation of special software that enables employees working in different institutions (forestry, park management, universities, scientific institutions) to monitor orchids and their habitats on a terrain in a mountain that is poor populated, intersected, and with incomplete Internet coverage. As a result of the implementation of the activities set out in the project, a comprehensive mapping of the orchid species, size and distribution of their populations in Strandzha was conducted. 32 species were found, 2 species are new to the mountain. Altogether 793 locations (with GPS coordinates) and a total of 1055236 specimens were mapped. New habitats have been identified of rare orchid species included in various national and international conventions and applications. Information was also collected on the threats to wild orchids and their habitats. The main threat is the harvesting of the orchids' tubers and their use for the manufacture for sale. All the information gathered during the fieldwork, was summed up in a publication and was used for the development of the software. The software was installed on tablets that were distributed to forest holdings in the area, and forest staff was trained to use it.

Project website:

https://orchis.onenat.org/

Project materials:

Project materials (notebook, banner, t-shirt, bag and badge) are available HERE.

Products from the project:

The project logo is available HERE.

The Survey "Orchis of Strandzha" is available HERE.

The Field work “New data on the species of Orchidaceae in the Strandzha Natural Park” is available HERE.

The Presentation from the Press Conference (27 July 2017) in Bulgarian language is available HERE.

The Presentation "New data on the species of Orchidaceae in the Strandzha Natural Park", Svetla Dalakchieva, Antoaneta S. Petrova is available HERE.

The Presentation „ORCHIS - Orchids researches, conservation and habitats in Strandzha“, Svetla Dalakchieva, Burgas, 30 April 2018, in Bulgarian language is available HERE.

The Presentation “Guidelines for work with specialized software”, in English language is available HERE.

The Presentation "Guidelines for work with specialized software", in Bulgarian language is available HERE.

The Presentation "Guidelines for work with specialized software", in Turkish language is available HERE.

The Presentation "Project implementation results", in Bulgarian language is available HERE.