During 13th – 15th November 2008, the second Romanian-Bulgarian workshop regarding the opportunity for extending the marine protected area 2 Mai – Vama Veche found at the Romanian littoral into the Bulgarian ones, from the Dobrich region

In the first day of the meeting, after the wellcoming addressed by Mr. Rossen Vassiliev, BBF’s Executive Director, Mrs. Andreea Burnescu (project coordonator) presented the agenda of the workshop, then she invited the guests to watch a moovie achieved within the project. This moovie surprises aspectes from the activities developed in the project including some from the first workshop, hold at the Megalos Hotel in Constanta during 30 Mai – 2 June 2008.
Mrs. Maria Moldoveanu, project assistant, presented the results of the activity „Involvement of the local communities from the two trans-boundary regions in activities for conservation of biodiversity in the 2 Mai – Durankulak area”. In order to fullfil the aim of this activity, to investigate the level of knowledge of the local people about the reserve, the forbidden and permited activities, a questionnaire comprising 18 questions was prepared. Almost 400 questionnaires were distributed to the inhabitants through the pupils, once with the class presentation, at the beginning and at the end of the project. The questionnaire wanted to establish how this project implemented by Mare Nostrum fulfilled its objectives.
Mrs. Dr.Eng. Tania Zaharia, senior scientist and custodian of the Reserve 2 Mai – Vama Veche, presented the paper „Preliminary results of the pilot hatchery for the reproduction of the sea horse”. The experiment represented one of the project specific objective and came from the fact that the sea horse dwelling the Black Sea waters diminished its populations under the pollution/eutrophication impact produced in the past decades.
At the end of the workshop, the second version of a letter of intent was read. The letter proposes to the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment to analyse the opportunity to enlarge the 2 Mai – Vama Veche protected area also in the Bulgarian littoral waters. This version was obtained after the reccomendations and propositions made during the first meeting, including that of the Bulgarian partner and participants within the first meeting held in Constanta. The letter is to be translated in Bulgarian language and sent to the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment.
The next two days of the workshop were dedicated to trips in some protected sites found in Dobrich region, among them the Yailata, Durankulak and Cape Kaliakra.