BSPB Poda Protected Area, Burgas Province, Bulgaria
The Burgas lakes or Burgas wetlands are a group of coastal lakes of varying salinity located around the city of Burgas (the fourth largest city in Bulgaria) on the Black Sea coast.
They constitute the largest group of lakes in the country and comprise some of Bulgaria's biggest and most important lakes. The total area of the lakes and wetlands (including swamps, marshes, ponds and other reservoirs) amounts to 59 square miles of which 21 square miles are either designated or proposed protected areas that are inhabited by a large number of locally or globally endangered species of birds, mammals and fish.
Apart from this, the Burgas lakes are also of economic importance and they are used to obtain sea salt and curative mud as well as to supply the local economy with fresh water in the case of Lake Mandra.
The lakes comprise (in north to south order):
Lake Pomorie: an ultra-saline lagoon
Lake Atanasovsko: a nature reserve and Ramsar site
Lake Burgas or Lake Vaya: the largest natural lake in Bulgaria by area
Lake Poda: sometimes regarded as a part of Lake Mandra
Lake Mandra or Lake Mandrensko: now a fresh water reservoir and the largest of the group
The Poda Protected Area is situated in the centre of the Burgas wetlands. It was declared as Poda Protected Area in 1989 when it was the first protected area in Bulgaria to be completely managed and maintained by a non-governmental organization, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB). Over the years, Poda has proved itself to be a successful model for protected area management. In 2002 it was designated as a Ramsar site and in 2007 it was included in the European Natura 2000 network as the Mandra-Poda Protected Area.
Poda is situated on the Via Pontica bird migration flyway and despite occupying a relatively small area (0.6 square miles), around 275 bird species have been recorded and it is an important site for breeding, migrating and wintering birds. The rich biodiversity is attributed to the 3 different types of water habitats it contains: brackish, fresh and hyper-saline salt water.
Poda is the only location on the Black Sea coast with a mixed heron breeding colony of Spoonbill, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Great White Egret and Little Egret. Large numbers of Cormorants are also notable and they have forsaken their usual breeding sites in reed beds and made their nests on the abandoned electrical pylons in the area.
At Poda, BSPB created the first Nature Conservation Centre in Bulgaria in 1997. This has served as a focal point for environmental protection and conservation, education, information and visitor activities, not just for Poda but also for the rest of the Burgas lakes. The Nature Conservation Centre is open all year and it receives around 15,000 visitors a year, mostly during the spring and summer.
Date: 22nd May 2018
Location: BSPB Poda Protected Area, Burgas Province, Bulgaria
They constitute the largest group of lakes in the country and comprise some of Bulgaria's biggest and most important lakes. The total area of the lakes and wetlands (including swamps, marshes, ponds and other reservoirs) amounts to 59 square miles of which 21 square miles are either designated or proposed protected areas that are inhabited by a large number of locally or globally endangered species of birds, mammals and fish.
Apart from this, the Burgas lakes are also of economic importance and they are used to obtain sea salt and curative mud as well as to supply the local economy with fresh water in the case of Lake Mandra.
The lakes comprise (in north to south order):
Lake Pomorie: an ultra-saline lagoon
Lake Atanasovsko: a nature reserve and Ramsar site
Lake Burgas or Lake Vaya: the largest natural lake in Bulgaria by area
Lake Poda: sometimes regarded as a part of Lake Mandra
Lake Mandra or Lake Mandrensko: now a fresh water reservoir and the largest of the group
The Poda Protected Area is situated in the centre of the Burgas wetlands. It was declared as Poda Protected Area in 1989 when it was the first protected area in Bulgaria to be completely managed and maintained by a non-governmental organization, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB). Over the years, Poda has proved itself to be a successful model for protected area management. In 2002 it was designated as a Ramsar site and in 2007 it was included in the European Natura 2000 network as the Mandra-Poda Protected Area.
Poda is situated on the Via Pontica bird migration flyway and despite occupying a relatively small area (0.6 square miles), around 275 bird species have been recorded and it is an important site for breeding, migrating and wintering birds. The rich biodiversity is attributed to the 3 different types of water habitats it contains: brackish, fresh and hyper-saline salt water.
Poda is the only location on the Black Sea coast with a mixed heron breeding colony of Spoonbill, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Great White Egret and Little Egret. Large numbers of Cormorants are also notable and they have forsaken their usual breeding sites in reed beds and made their nests on the abandoned electrical pylons in the area.
At Poda, BSPB created the first Nature Conservation Centre in Bulgaria in 1997. This has served as a focal point for environmental protection and conservation, education, information and visitor activities, not just for Poda but also for the rest of the Burgas lakes. The Nature Conservation Centre is open all year and it receives around 15,000 visitors a year, mostly during the spring and summer.
Date: 22nd May 2018
Location: BSPB Poda Protected Area, Burgas Province, Bulgaria
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Also in: Bulgaria
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