Five new cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) have been released into the wild in the Eastern Rhodopes as part of efforts to restore the species in the region.

On 10 September, teams from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation and the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Centre marked five Cinereous Vultures that arrived in Bulgaria from Spain in May and have been housed in a special adaptation aviary

In August, our teams concluded their field surveys across the Arda River basin. Behind this crucial phase of the “Rewilding Arda” project lie hundreds of kilometers covered on foot – through thorns, thickets, and steep riverbanks. For every 10 kilometers of river surveyed, our experts logged an additional 2 to 4 kilometers in the wildest and most inaccessible corners of the Rhodope Mountains, where the rivers become almost impassable.

Around 200 people, mainly families with children, took part in the festive programme in Madzharovo marking International Vulture Awareness Day. For another year, the town brought together nature lovers, local residents and visitors from across the country to celebrate these important “sanitarians” of nature.

From 13 to 16 July, the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) organized a study visit to the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria as part of its project “Study Visit to the Vulture Reintroduction Center in Eastern Rhodopes.

A team from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria) has ringed and tagged the two Cinereous Vulture juveniles hatched this year in the Bulgarian part of the Eastern Rhodopes with GPS/GSM satellite transmitters. These are the first chicks of the species to hatch in the region in more than 30 years.

The Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation, in partnership with leading scientists and conservationists, is launching a large-scale initiative to survey obsolete artificial barriers along the Arda River in Bulgaria.

We are pleased to announce that three project proposals have been awarded grants for the implementation of Replication Projects under the open call launched within the framework of the LIFE Rhodope Vulture project.

REWILDING RHODOPES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES EXTENSION OF THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
NEW DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: 24TH NOVEMBER 2025 – 18.00 H. CET
ALL THE REMAINING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE OPEN CALL STAY THE SAME.

Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation announces:

OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS