By The European Times | Created at 2026-09-19 08:42:10 | Updated at 2026-09-19 12:16:11
3 hours ago
Lake Srebarna, near Silistra, is one of Bulgaria’s most valuable sanctuaries for waterfowl. In 2025, however, it required urgent intervention: over 3 million cubic meters of water were diverted from the Danube to save the wetland from drying up. This serves as just one example of how even protected natural areas are not spared from the water crisis.
Against this backdrop, data from Turkey serves as a warning for the entire Balkan Peninsula. Of the country’s 240 lakes, 186 have already dried up. The remaining ones are also threatened by receding water levels, the BBC reports. Bird Sanctuaries: On the border with Georgia, Lake Aktas still attracts pelicans, coots, and rare sociable lapwings. Conservationist Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu calls it the last lake in Turkey visited by both Dalmatian and Great White pelicans. The site is unusually tranquil. A military outpost that once guarded the border between NATO and the Soviet Union now restricts access for people and boats—a factor that has unexpectedly provided protection for the birds. Yet, even here, nature is under pressure.
Seventy-seven kilometers to the south, near the Armenian border, Lake Kuyucuk is now but a shadow of its former glory. In 2004, more than 40,000 birds were counted there across an area of just 2.2 square kilometers. They accounted for about 12 percent of the estimated global population of red-breasted geese at the time. However, the lake’s depth dropped from 13 meters in 1997 to just 1 meter in 2010.
The causes are familiar in Bulgaria as well: prolonged drought, water diversion for agriculture, illegal wells, and the excessive use of groundwater. Shekerjioglu managed to persuade local authorities to pump water into Kuyucuk and remove some of the illegal barriers on its tributaries. While the lake has not been fully restored, the wetland has not completely disappeared. Bulgaria has not been spared either; Srebarna demonstrates just how fragile these natural treasures are. Water that should flow from the Danube does not always reach the lake in sufficient quantities. Similar risks affect other wetlands, such as Lake Atanasovsko near Burgas, and Lakes Durankulak and Shabla. These sites are vital for bird migration between Europe and Africa but face pressure from drought, pollution, and alterations to natural water regimes. As of August 2026, Bulgaria’s reservoirs of national importance were filled to an average of 69.78 percent of their capacity, while those designated for drinking water supply stood at 83.55 percent. This indicates that the country possesses water reserves, yet it offers no guarantee for the security of individual lakes and wetlands. Birds that know no borders: In 2006, along the Aras River in eastern Turkey, Şekercioğlu established the country’s first bird migration monitoring station. Volunteers capture, measure, and band the birds before releasing them back into the wild. This process tracks the movements of species that link Turkey, Bulgaria, Europe, and Africa. However, this work is now under threat. Plans are underway to build the Tuzluca Dam, which conservationists warn could submerge three villages as well as the station itself. Authorities plan to create artificial islands for the wildlife, but scientists fear these will not be an adequate substitute for the natural wetland.
Şekercioğlu succeeded in persuading authorities to relocate a planned road near Lake Aktaş to a position about 1.6 kilometers away from the water, thereby reducing noise and the risk of bird-vehicle collisions. Protective barriers were also installed. This stands as one of the few successes in his work. “When nature competes with humans for water, it always loses,” the scientist stated. This serves as a warning for Bulgaria that should not be ignored. Conservation efforts at Srebarna demonstrate that once water disappears, restoring lakes becomes more than just an environmental task; it becomes a matter of public choice—deciding how we use water and what we leave for the birds.
Illustrative photo: pexels-humeyrakalkan-17265950
