Τhe organisation
Via Pontica Foundation is a Bulgarian environmental non-governmental organisation, established in 2015 and based in Burgas on the country's southern Black Sea coast. It works for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration and the sustainable management of natural and coastal resources across the Black Sea region. A central part of its work is the management and restoration of Ecopark Vaya within the Burgas Lakes complex (Natura 2000 site BG0000273), where the Foundation has restored nearly 100 hectares of degraded land into functioning wetland habitats that support biodiversity, environmental monitoring, education and community engagement. Via Pontica combines field-based conservation with applied research, remote-sensing innovation and international cooperation, implementing EU-funded projects on ecosystem restoration, climate adaptation and the blue bioeconomy. It is a member of the UN Global Compact, Wetlands International and PAN Europe.
Partner role in MoreAdaptBSB
Via Pontica Foundation is one of the six project partners and the Bulgarian partner in MoreAdaptBSB. It contributes to the development of the remote-sensing-based methodology and web tool for assessing the climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity of coastal and urban areas of the Black Sea Basin, and coordinates work on the common methodology and vulnerability analysis. On the Bulgarian side, the Foundation leads the technical and remote-sensing work for the pilot in Primorsko, including a UAV LiDAR baseline survey of a mature urban park that supports carbon-aware, nature-based adaptation planning. It also organises knowledge-exchange and stakeholder-engagement activities in Bulgaria.
Expertise / Contribution
• Biodiversity conservation and large-scale ecosystem and wetland restoration (Ecopark Vaya, Burgas Lakes).
• Nature-based solutions for coastal and urban climate adaptation.
• UAV LiDAR and satellite remote sensing for environmental monitoring and green-space assessment.
• Carbon retention and vegetation / biomass analysis.
• Implementation of EU-funded projects, stakeholder engagement and international cooperation in the Black Sea region
• Nature-based solutions for coastal and urban climate adaptation.
• UAV LiDAR and satellite remote sensing for environmental monitoring and green-space assessment.
• Carbon retention and vegetation / biomass analysis.
• Implementation of EU-funded projects, stakeholder engagement and international cooperation in the Black Sea region
Official name
Via Pontica Foundation (Bulgarian: Фондация „Виа Понтика“), Bulgaria.