Restoration of ecosystems after fires will take 50 years

The fires that devastated large areas in Bulgaria in recent months will have long-term consequences for the country's biodiversity. According to Dr. Rusko Petrov from the Wildlife Rescue Center of "Green Balkans", it will take between 40 and 50 years to restore ecological diversity in the affected areas.

In an interview with our agency, Dr. Petrov revealed the scale of the ecological disaster that specialists are facing. "We managed to survey about 80-85% of the burned territories in the last month", he shared, describing a large-scale operation involving students from Thracian University and pupils from the National Professional High School of Veterinary Medicine.

The picture that the teams encountered is alarming. "We were collecting them by handfuls. Mostly insects - grasshoppers, praying mantises, mole crickets, snails", explained Dr. Petrov, emphasizing that the destruction of these small animals disrupts the entire food chain in the ecosystem.

Affected species

Among the most severely affected species are ground squirrels, whose colonies were massively destroyed by the fire. The teams found numerous dead specimens, as well as turtles and hedgehogs with severe burns on their limbs.

The situation with birds is particularly concerning. In just one day in the Sakar region, 32 storks were found in need of urgent help. In the Radnevo area, two dead white storks were discovered, and two more are in critical condition at the "Green Balkans" Rescue Center, with burned respiratory tracts and hemorrhages in the lungs.

Despite the severe situation, Dr. Petrov noted that many large mammals managed to escape, as their breeding season was earlier and their young were big enough to flee from the fire. However, this does not reduce the overall damage to the ecosystem.

Steps towards recovery

Against the backdrop of this ecological disaster, the traditional release of diurnal birds of prey near Kremikovtsi Monastery took place today. Five kestrels, one common and one rough-legged buzzard, and one goshawk were returned to the wild - a small but symbolic step towards restoring natural balance.

Experts emphasize that the restoration of ecosystems will be a long and difficult process, requiring constant efforts and attention from conservationists and society as a whole.