The Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is hosting the 21st Eurasian Grassland Conference which is taking place in Sofia from 19 to 23 July 2026. The conference, organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) – a working group of the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS) – is one of the leading international scientific events dedicated to the research, conservation and sustainable management of grassland ecosystems. This year’s edition is being held under the theme ‘Connecting Science and Conservation for Grassland Sustainability’, which emphasises the need for scientific research to be closely linked to practices for the conservation and sustainable management of grassland ecosystems. The conference brings together scientists and experts from dozens of countries who present [...]

The largest field expedition in the field of lepidopterology, which brought together 57 experts from 17 European countries, took place between June 15 and 19, 2026, near the village of Vlahi, above the Kresna Gorge in the Pirin Mountains. The researchers collected data on more than 700 species of day and night butterflies of which at least 300 species will be sequenced for the first time, and their genomes will be used as references. As part of the “Psyche” project, the expedition aimed to assist in collecting data on some of the species for which genetic data is currently lacking. To date, over 11,000 butterfly species have been identified in Europe but the genomes of only about 10% of them are known. So far, a [...]