Every year on February 2nd we celebrate World Wetlands Day. The global awareness -raising campaign under the auspices of the United Nations focuses on the critical importance of these biodiversity-rich and productive ecosystems.

On February 2nd, 1971 the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar. It is the first global environmental agreement and the only one dedicated to a specific ecosystem. It includes 172 countries, including Bulgaria. The date of February 2nd has been declared an international day that allows all nations and people around the world to unite to protect the wetlands of our planet with the message that healthy wetlands are essential for our common well-being and long-term survival.

Wetlands cover 12 million sq. km. around the world with their diverse forms and characteristics. They are essential for the survival of humanity and about 40% of plant and animal species. They also protect against extreme weather conditions and contribute to the development of agriculture, fishing, and other traditional industries.

As cities expand and pollution continues, we are losing more and more wetlands and the ecological services they provide. This undermines human well-being and violates our right to a healthy environment. That is why it is important to protect wetlands, and we can draw knowledge on how to do so from indigenous peoples and local communities. For centuries, they have built their lives around the cyclical nature of wetlands and have developed practices for their sustainable use, known as traditional knowledge.

That is why the theme of the 2026 campaign is “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage”. It was chosen to encourage the participation of local communities - these custodians of wetlands - in the creation of policies for the protection of wetlands.

Traditional knowledge takes the form of stories, songs, folklore, parables, cultural values, rituals, etc. They are passed down from mouth to mouth and from generation to generation in the daily lives of 3 million people from at least 5000 different cultures. Indigenous peoples are the first known inhabitants of a given land, such as the Native Americans in North America and the Aborigines in Australia. From them we see that wetlands are not only sources of resources, but also cultural landscapes with inherent identity, art, and spirituality. Their agricultural practices of pruning, weeding, and replanting, as well as the monitoring they carry out by observing specific features of flora and fauna, maintain the ecological balance.

There are no indigenous peoples in Bulgaria, but local communities live among us who apply traditional methods of using the land, soils, and resources of wetlands.

Pomorie Lake is of historical and cultural importance as a place for extracting sea salt using traditional methods. For more than two millennia, salt mining has been an important practice and economic activity in the region. The annual production is about 30 000 tons. Approximately 30% of the area consists of salt mining basins. The organic lye obtained during salt mining has long been known for its medicinal properties and has been used for treatment. In the 20th century, two medical centers were built, which are visited mostly by tourists from the Black Sea coast during the summer season. Pomorie Lake is also important as a site of specialized educational tourism and environmental education related to the birdlife that inhabits it.

Atanasovsko Lake is subject to strong anthropogenic pressure due to its proximity to the densely populated city and the international airport located to its East. The lake is used for salt mining in a traditional way and the habitats characteristic of the wetland are highly dependent on the preservation of this approach. The lower economic efficiency of traditional salt mining, as well as the depreciated infrastructure, are a threat to salt mining in its current form, which is considered a serious risk to the maintenance of the wetland.

Another wetland – Chengene Skele, is a small sea bay at the mouth of the Marinka River, located south of the Kraimorie district, in close proximity to the Burgas - Sozopol road. It is a fishing port that preserves fishing traditions to this day, where you can see demonstrations of net weaving, rope and sea knot tying, tasting traditional foods and presenting their beliefs and legends.

Traditional knowledge related to nature is everywhere around us. It is time to collect, respect, and apply it comprehensively in order to preserve wetlands and our cultural heritage!

Bulgaria is among the first countries to join the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. In the list of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), our country is represented by 11 wetlands with a total area of nearly 50 000 ha, which represents 0.45% of the country's territory - "Atanasovsko Lake", "Belenski Islands Complex", "Durankulak Lake", "Ibisha Island", "Shablensko Lake", "Poda Area", "Pomorie Lake", "Ropotamo Complex", "Srebarna Lake", "Vaya Lake" and "Dragomansko Blato Karst Complex".

Information about wetlands of international importance in Bulgaria (Ramsar Sites): https://www.ramsar.org/country-profile/bulgaria

Information about World Wetlands Day: https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/