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On December 14, at 17:00 CET, the team of the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation invites us to the world online premiere of the documentary "The Circle of Life in the Rhodope Mountains", which is the work of French director Emmanuel Rondeau. This is the second title after "A New Path for the Velebit Mountains" about the Velebit mountain massif in Croatia from the documentary series of the pan-European initiative for restoration of wild nature in Europe - Rewilding Europe. The Bulgarian foundation has been part of the international nature protection organization for nine years now. The 12- minute story was filmed last year in the Eastern Rhodopes, mainly in the area of the town of Madzharovo, and focuses on the efforts to restore the wilderness of the Eastern Rhodopes and on the relationship between the mountain and the people and businesses there.
"The main mission of the film is to show our work in the region, which is aimed at restoring extinct and rare species, such as vultures, the bison, wild horses and deer,” Andreana Trifonova, head of the team of Rewilding Rhodopes, has told BNR. “It also shows their relationship with local people, the business and tourism development."
The author of the films in the Rewilding Europe series, Emmanuel Rondeau, is an award-winning writer, photo-journalist, producer and has created projects for Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet and BBC Natural History. He is a man who has photographed nature in very hard-to-reach places in almost every corner of the Earth.
"He is not just a director. He is devoted to the idea of protecting wild nature and inspires the audience, which is touched emotionally and provoked by his work," Trifonova points out in an interview with BNR’s Diana Doncheva.
According to Andreana Trifonova, Rondeau sees the protected nature in the Rhodopes as a long-term tool for sustainable local development of communities. He himself recently admitted that the Rhodope Mountains are very special in terms of biodiversity, but he believes that the uniqueness of the people he met during filming really made this film special. The main filming location for the team was the area of Madzharovo. The town is located in the Eastern Rhodopes on the banks of the Arda River and is the second smallest town in Bulgaria after Melnik.
"This is a region where during the time of socialism, efforts were focused mainly on the mining industry. After the democratic changes in 1989, this activity was stopped and it turned out that the local people remained without economic activity and began to emigrate. But at the same time Madzharovo is becoming a center of attraction for people and businesses who rely on the preserved unique nature in the area. It is here that we can see an extremely rich biodiversity, several species of vultures, very rare and protected plants and animals, which represent practically the base for sustainable development of economic activities in harmony with nature."
The development in this direction has been particularly noticeable in recent years. The environmentalists and the foundation also deserve credit for the preservation and protection of the flora and fauna and together with the local people they turn them into an active tourist attraction.
"In recent years, more and more tourists who specialize in wildlife photography, wildlife watching and ornithologists visit the Eastern Rhodopes. The local authorities have realized that this is a very serious tool to keep people in the region and to attract investments."
After Croatia and Bulgaria, Emmanuel Rondeau and Rewilding Europe continue work on the next film in the series. "Rondeau is currently filming with our colleagues in Spain and the film will be ready in 2024," Andreana Trifonova, says. Until then, "The Circle of Life in the Rhodope Mountains" continues and you can see it on the official YouTube channels of Rewilding Europe and the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation.
Author: Vesela Krasteva (based on an interview by Diana Doncheva, BNR-Horizon)
English publication: Al. Markov
Photos: Rewilding Rhodopes, Facebook/ Emmanuel Rondeau
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