A few days ago, poachers shot Ultron. Not the villain from the Marvel comics but a black vulture donated by the Belgian Plankendel Zoo to Bulgaria. The bird was released in 2019 with high hopes of it helping bring this endangered species back to Bulgaria's natural habitats - something that our experts have been fighting for the last 30 years. Despite the efforts of the veterinarians from the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Center near Stara Zagora, the bird did not survive. Following Ultron’s untimely death, the moods at the center range between sadness and anger - completely understandable after years of round-the-clock care and hard work. The people in the organization have long accepted as their vocation and destiny the protection of endangered animal species and habitats. The word "endangered" is not just a concept for them but a cause which they hope can unite the majority of people.

The efforts and hard work of the Green Balkans’ conservationists have not gone unnoticed. They find support and an outstretched hand in the face of the business. For more than 9 years the local electricity producer ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 TPP has been supporting the causes of the Rescue Center for ecological balance protection and has been indirectly supporting the security of those species that are at risk of extinction. "In any case, we need support in our work. It is important not only from a moral point of view but also for our survival, as well as for the success of our cause, " said Hristina Klisurova, PR and veterinarian at the Green Balkans Rescue Center. "Our partnership dates back a long time. Thanks to it we were able to renovate the visitorss corner of the Center, some of our old aviaries and the reanimation room at the Rescue Center, " she added. ContourGlobal provided the long-awaited by the by veterinarian specialists equipment for inhalational anesthetic which is essential for the treatment and rescue of a number of animal species. Separately, thanks to the power plant, dozens of children from the area have visited the Center and learned more about nature and environmental protection.

"Together with Green Balkans we manage to unite two extremely important causes - the protection of endangered species with care for biodiversity and the cultivation of the children's sense of responsibility for nature," says Nadia Sinigerska- Bohorova, "Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Development Manager at ”ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3”. For the company, which operates one of the largest and most modern thermal power plants in Bulgaria, this is not the sole initiative related to environmental protection. A significant part of the company's program in support of local communities is related to periodic afforestation in the power plant’s area in the municipality of Galabovo.

More than 35,000 trees and shrubs have been planted in the last 20 years. If we take all this forest and place it in the nearest regional city Stara Zagora, then for every 9 people in the city there will be one tree. Mathematics also shows that the environmental impact of ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3's policies is indisputable and easy to calculate - an adult tree absorbs about 20 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year. This means that green belts absorb approximately 700 tons or the dioxide emitted by 70 people. The whole eco picture viewed on a larger scale has an impact on the biodiversity and the life of mammals, birds, reptiles and others. "We need support on which our survival and the success of our cause depend.

“We are glad that ContourGlobal has a policy of promoting the causes which it supports among its employees, encouraging them to participate directly, either through voluntary initiatives or donations," concludes Hristina Klisurova. Over the last 10 years more than 370 volunteers from ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 have initiated more than

30 volunteer initiatives and worked nearly 1,500 hours in support of various "green" initiatives such as afforestation, cleaning and landscaping, lectures in environmental educational institutions and of course, volunteering in support of the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Center. Thus, energy specialists voluntarily contribute to the conservation of nature and biodiversity in the area, contributing to a better world where the endangered animal or plant species never becomes extinct.

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