The 45th Conference of the International Association for Danube Research (IAD) was officially opened today and brought together representatives of the scientific community, institutions, NGOs and partner projects from the Danube region. The Forum, which will run until 12 April, is jointly organised by the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at BAS (IBER-BAS), the Climate, Atmosphere and Waters Research Institute at BAS (CAWRI), the IAD General Secretariat, the Danube Invasive Alien Species Network (DIAS) and the Union for Conservation of Nature.
The conference was opened by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Teodora Trichkova (IBER-BAS) – National Representative of IAD for Bulgaria, Dr. Bernd Cyffka, President of IAD, Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Vladimirov, Director of IBER-BAS, and Corr. Memb. Ekaterina Batchvarova, Director of CAWRI-BAS. Assoc. Prof. Ina Aneva, who is the Scientific Secretary of the “Biodiversity, Bioresources and Ecology” division, delivered a welcome speech to the participants on behalf of the BAS management. She highlighted the role of science as a key tool for sustainable management of natural resources, for science-based restoration of degraded ecosystems and for addressing the growing challenges of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
The theme of the forum this year focuses on innovative solutions and international cooperation for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems in the Danube basin. This reflects BAS’s priorities to develop high quality research with real applicability in sustainable development policies, nature conservation and transboundary environmental management.
The International Association for Danube Research (IAD), founded in 1956 in Vienna, Austria, is the longest existing and most active scientific network in Europe. It brings together specialists with diverse expertise – geologists, geographers, climatologists, hydrologists, hydrochemists, microbiologists, hydrobiologists and ichthyologists – with a focus on the conservation and sustainable management of the Danube basin. Bulgaria, through the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and its institutes, has been actively involved in the activities of IAD ever since its establishment.
The event, held at the “Moscow” Park Hotel, brought together over 100 participants from 15 countries, highlighting the international nature and importance of efforts to protect the Danube Basin through cooperation and sharing of scientific expertise.
