site.btaSrebarna Nature Museum Director Elena Ilieva Highlights Reserve’s Rich Biodiversity

Over 60 species of higher plants, 39 species of mammals, 21 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 20 species of fish inhabit the Srebarna Reserve, which is also home to more than 90 species of waterfowl, drawing visitors from all over the world, Elena Ilieva, Director of the Srebarna Nature Museum, said during the presentation of the latest issue of LIK magazine Bulgaria in UNESCO.

Ilieva recalled that the history of the reserve dates back more than 150 years, when the Austrian scholar Felix Kanitz visited the lake. Kanitz wrote a three-volume work about Srebarna and the Danube River, titled Danubian Bulgaria. The first Bulgarian to work on and promote the area was Aleksi Petrov from Pleven, who first visited Srebarna in 1911, and in the years that followed, often campaigned for the protection of the local environment.

This led to the authorities’ 1948 decision to declare Srebarna a reserve. Later, in 1977, it became part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and in 1983 it was included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage list. There are currently 182 natural sites located in 152 countries on this list.

The Srebarna Nature Museum, established in 1983, features dioramas of wetland habitats, including songbirds, birds of prey, and mammals native to the reserve. Visitors can observe the pelican colony in real time using binoculars and video monitoring.

“Today, it is an honour for us to remain a UNESCO site and to welcome tourists from around the globe. They can see Dalmatian pelicans, which are regular residents, as well as great white pelicans, almost all species of heron, and many other water-dependent birds. The biodiversity in the reserve is a real treasure. I hope it continues to be a place to discover nature, and perhaps to teach us to be better, humbler, and more responsible towards it,” Ilieva said.

She pointed out that the water level in the lake is currently critically low but expressed hope that the issue will be resolved. According to local residents’ recollections, there have been similar situations in the past. For this reason, hopes remain high that the reserve will be preserved for future generations and will continue to be a draw for nature lovers.

The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee runs until July 16 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris under the presidency of Bulgaria. As part of the session, Bulgaria will present elements of its cultural and natural heritage. The July issue of LIK magazine, dedicated to Bulgaria and UNESCO, was also officially presented at UNESCO.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on November 16, 1945. Bulgaria became a member on May 17, 1956, the same year its National Commission for UNESCO was established. The Commission coordinates activities between Bulgarian institutions and UNESCO.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee is one of the two governing bodies responsible for implementing the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It is composed of representatives from 21 countries elected from among the 196 States Parties to the Convention.