A group of five European bison have just been released in the Zhenda rewilding site in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains. With the free-roaming bison population already in the landscape growing steadily, the new arrivals will amplify the beneficial impact of this iconic keystone species.
Over the last decade, the rewilding of Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains has transformed the landscape into a showcase for nature recovery. Scaling up efforts to support the comeback of cinereous vultures is the perfect way to celebrate this momentous milestone.
The Rewilding Rhodopes team have been releasing red and fallow deer in the local landscape for 10 years. As the size and range of deer populations in the Eastern Rhodopes continue to increase, so the positive impact on biodiversity and local food webs will continue to increase too.
Rewilding in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria is about to take an exciting step forward, with the local rewilding team preparing to carry out a wide range of measures in a new area.
A second group of cinereous vultures has just been released in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. Reinforcing the population already present in the area, the birds will strengthen the local circle of life, help to restore wild nature, and deliver benefits to communities in and around the rewilding landscape.
In the Rhodope Mountains, agricultural subsidies are promoting the intensification of grazing, which is negatively impacting nature and local rewilding efforts. The local team are determined to keep advocating rural policies that allow people to make better use of the socio-economic benefits that rewilding can provide.
“The Circle of Life in the Rhodope Mountains”, a 12-minute documentary by Emmanuel Rondeau, tells the hopeful story of rewilding in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. At the beginning of November, a well-attended premiere in the town of Kardzhali helped the local rewilding team engage a wide range of stakeholders.
In the middle of June, a second group of cinereous vultures were translocated to the Rhodope Mountains rewilding landscape in Bulgaria. Their arrival and eventual release is the next step in a long-term programme to re-establish these ecologically important birds as a breeding species.
A long-term release programme means populations of red and fallow deer in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains are gradually recovering. As the landscape becomes wilder and healthier, there are benefits for local communities too.
Populations of vultures and other raptors in the Balkans still face a range of threats, with illegal poisoning top of the list. The reintroduction of cinereous vultures in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria throws a spotlight on these threats, but also offers hope for the future.