Via Pontica Foundation (Burgas, Bulgaria) manages Ecopark Vaya within the Burgas Lakes Natura 2000 complex (BG0000273), a wetland system substantially reshaped by historical land reclamation and urban/industrial pressure and subsequently restored through active ecosystem management — a documented case of a deliberately engineered novel ecosystem. We hold a ten-year satellite time series combined with two years of monthly field monitoring on carbon sequestration dynamics in restored wetland ecosystems, generated through ongoing doctoral research. We are the CEPA focal point of the Ramsar Convention for Bulgaria and a member of Wetlands International and PAN Europe, with established experience managing and delivering transnational Black Sea Basin and Mediterranean coastal ecosystem projects (see [website link] for current projects). We are looking to join a consortium under Theme A (novel ecosystem functioning) or Theme B (pathways to novel ecosystems), contributing long-term restoration and carbon monitoring data, field access to a Natura 2000 site, and established community-engagement channels.

Ecology

Via Pontica Foundation is developing a research initiative on the long-term functioning and trajectories of restored coastal wetlands as novel ecosystems, based on our management of the Burgas Lakes wetland complex (Ecopark Vaya, Natura 2000 BG0000273) and a ten-year satellite and field monitoring dataset on carbon sequestration in restored wetlands.

wetland restoration, novel ecosystems, carbon sequestration, black sea, coastal ecosystems, socio-ecological systems, natura 2000, ecosystem functioning, ramsar, long-term ecological monitoring

CMA (Common Maritime Agenda) Black Sea Stakeholder Conference 2026, Burgas, Bulgaria — 30 September 2026, as part of CMA Black Sea Week (28 September – 2 October 2026), organised by the European Commission (DG MARE / Black Sea Assistance Mechanism).
https://black-sea-maritime-agenda.ec.europa.eu/regional-cooperation-thriving-black-sea-coming-together-common-maritime-agenda-conference-2026