Poisoning continues to pose one of the most serious threats to vulture populations across Europe. Recent mass poisoning incidents affecting the Balkan population of the Cinereous Vulture highlight the urgency of coordinated action and the need for effective, on-the-ground solutions.
In response to this ongoing challenge, the LIFE Rhodope Vulture project is organizing a webinar that will bring together experts and practitioners to share knowledge, present case studies, and discuss practical measures to combat wildlife poisoning.
The online event, titled “Poison Crisis: Protecting Vultures in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria and Greece”, will take place on 7 May at 18:00 EET / 17:00 CET. Participation is free and open to the general public interested in wildlife conservation, anti-poisoning initiatives, and cross-border cooperation between institutions and local communities.
During the session, participants will gain insight into the scale of wildlife poisoning across the Balkans, learn about recent incidents in Bulgaria and Greece, and about successful anti-poisoning strategies and collaborative approaches implemented in the field.
Agenda:
18.00 – 18.10: Opening words Jovan Andrevski – Vulture conservation foundation (VCF)
18.10 – 18.20: Vultures and Poisons
Speaker: Uros Pantovic – Vulture conservation foundation (VCF)
18.20 – 18.40: Recent Poisoning Incidents in Rhodope Mountain in Bulgaria and Greece
Speakers: Sylvia Zakkak – Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA) and Dobromir Dobrev – Bulgarian society for the protection of birds(BSPB)
18.40 – 18.45: Anti-Poisoning Measures and Best Practices
Speaker: Elzbieta Kret – Society for the Protection of the Biodiversity of Thrace (SPBT)
18.45 – 18.50: Best practices adopted by national Forestry Service and engagement strategies involving local hunting communities
Speakers: Vasilakis Dimitris – Ministry of Environment and Energy аnd and Vafeidis Panagiotis – Greek Forestry Service
18.50 – 19.30: Q&A session
Registration is available at the link here:
Participants may also join directly via Zoom here:
The webinar will be held in English. Additional details for participants will be shared in advance of the event.
The webinar is organized within the LIFE project “Restoration of the Cinereous vulture population and trophic chain in the Bulgarian-Greek cross-border region” (No. 101148254 — LIFE23-NAT-BG-LIFE Rhodope Vulture). The project is implemented on the Bulgarian side by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds in collaboration with Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation. It is co-financed by the European Union’s LIFE Programme and Rewilding Europe.
