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.

Waterfowl count on Bulgaria’s Arda River reveals some special visitors. On the weekend of 14–15 January, more than 7,000 birds of 32 different species were recorded at the annual mid-winter waterfowl census on the Arda River in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains. Experts and volunteers from Rewilding Rhodopes and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds observed some species that are rarely seen in the region.