On June 28, the Association of the Bulgarian Chevening Scholars (ABCS), in co-operation with the British embassy, The British Council and Borrowed Nature association, organised a one-day seminar on the topic Climate Changes and Natura 2000 – Possibilities and Challenges. The seminar took place in Sofia Military Club.

The basic aim of the event was to provide topical information to interested parties on the essence of Natura 2000, the meaning of nature conservation during the years of fight against the lasting climate changes at a global and national level. The participants included municipal authorities and landowners of zones in the Natura 2000 environmental network, as well as branch organisations representatives.

The conference was opened by ABCS chairman Julian Voinov, following which ABCS Antonia Chilikova gave a presentation about climate changes and biodiversity.

Irina Kostadinova of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds and Andrey Kovachev of the Balkani Wildlife Society spoke about the creation and the management of the environmental network Natura 2000. The financial mechanisms for managing the network were also presented. They are the “Operative Programme: Environment” at the Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs and “Programme for Rural Areas Development” at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works has an “Operational Programme: Regional Development – Priority 3: Sustainable Development of the Tourism”, which could be used for financing sustainable tourism investments.

State Agency for Tourism chief expert Desislava Michalkova spoke on the topic “Natura 2000 and the eco-tourism possibilities”, highlighting opportunities to use protected zones for tourist attractions with minimal impact on nature.

Rhodopi project representative Georgy Terziiski gave a domestic and international review of practices and perspectives for financing the sustainable future of protected zones.

Foreign spokespersons were represented by Ivan Lang (UK) and Mihay Weg (Hungary).

Lang presented some of the best practices from Pagham Harbour as a successful example of real socio-economical benefits from a Natura 2000 zone in Great Britain.

Weg in his turn described a multi-functional fish-farm as an example of the many uses of a natural resources in one Hungarian wetland – the national park Danube-Drava, which is part of the Pan-European Ecological Network. It is being developed in co-operation with the pilot project Kopacki Rit Natural Park, Croatia.

ABCS is an association of young Bulgarians who have been granted a British Foreign Office Chevening scholarship for study in the United Kingdom. The association was created in 2005 with the support of the British Council and the British Embassy in Bulgaria.

Among the Chevening scholars are the Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivailo Kalfin.

In 2007 ABCS also plans to work on several other projects concerning climate change and its problems, applying Natura 2000 in Bulgaria, as well the development of renewable energy sources in Bulgaria.