A group of environmental NGOs—including Green Balkans, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, the Swiss WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), the Swiss-Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, and others—have received over BGN 43 million (approximately €22 million) strictly for activities related to counting and relocating birds.
The leading figures behind these NGOs are well-known eco-activists and green politicians, including:
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Toma Belev
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Andrey Kovachev
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Petko Tsvetkov
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Veselina Kavrakova (wife of Toma Belev)
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Hristo Nikolov
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Irina Mateeva
...as well as several other ecologists.
Funding for these organizations comes primarily from European Union programs and the Bulgarian state budget. However, critics argue that this represents a drain on EU funds and taxpayer money, with few visible results to show in terms of actual benefits for nature and the environment. In the end, the main beneficiaries appear to be the so-called “green” NGOs themselves.
