site.btaBulgaria Joins International Initiative for Protection of Marine Mammals

Bulgaria will be joining an international initiative for protection of marine mammals. The Government on Wednesday authorized the Minister of Environment and Water to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Secretariat for the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area.

Established under the auspices of the UN Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS), the agreement aims to achieve and maintain a favourable conservation status for cetaceans through coordinated measures. Its scope covers key habitats for numerous species of marine mammals, many of which are listed as threatened in the Convention’s Red List and face increasing pressure from human activity, including overfishing, pollution, underwater noise and habitat degradation.

By signing the memorandum, the Environment Ministry commits to partially funding research on cetaceans aimed at developing new techniques for their protection. The studies will be carried out in 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea and in 2027 in the Black Sea. The total Bulgarian contribution for the three-year duration of the memorandum will amount to EUR 46,500, to be allocated annually within the budget of the Environment Ministry.

The research project has a total duration of three years and a budget of EUR 3.3 million. Countries making significant voluntary contributions to the agreement include France (EUR 1.6 million), Italy (EUR 600,000), the Principality of Monaco (EUR 150,000) and the US Navy (EUR 130,000), among others.