On March 25, we will turn off the lights for an hour to support the planet, but at the same time we are shining a light on the problem of the limited habitats of wild animals in Bulgaria. As part of the "Earth Hour" global campaign, the environmental protection organization WWF in Bulgaria is launching an initiative to restore the lynx and Danube sturgeon populations on our lands, called "Common Home, Common Future".

One of the biggest problems facing large carnivores in Bulgaria is their need for large territories and the need for connectivity between their habitats, which are not always within the borders of just one country. In order to deal with this problem, environmentalists are taking initiatives to declare new territories with different degrees of protection, as nature parks and reserves currently occupy only 5% of the territory of our country. In this way, they will connect the fragmented habitats and create conditions for the return of long-disappeared species in our country.

Lynx is a legend in our forest kingdom

The lynx was once a key species in our latitudes, i.e. has had a major impact on the ecosystem, controlling the dominance of other species. It is considered to have disappeared from Bulgaria since 1941, when the last officially registered Balkan lynx in our country was killed.

"In 2008, a photo trap registered a young male lynx in the Osogovo mountain, which is considered real evidence of the presence of lynx in Bulgaria. But whether we will create conditions for the development of its population depends only on us," says Alexander Dutsov, senior expert in program "Protection of species" at WWF.

No less alarming is the situation with the critically endangered Danube dinosaurs - sturgeons

The lower course of the river, on the border between Bulgaria and Romania, is home to the last naturally breeding sturgeon populations in the European Union. Having survived for the past 200 million years, they now face a number of threats that block their migration routes and destroy spawning grounds.

Therefore, this spring, the largest global initiative dedicated to the protection of the planet - "Earth Hour" - will take place in Bulgaria under the sign of WWF's efforts to restore habitats. Traditionally, on the last Saturday of March, millions of people in over 7,000 cities in 190 countries around the world will turn off the lights in their homes between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., calling for a sustainable and responsible future.

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/Bulgarian National Radio