Welcome to the Bulgaria BMS!
This page shows the information of the Bulgarian Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, BMS to monitor Bulgarian butterflies.
Be part of the eBMS community counting Butterflies!
Did you know that Bulgaria is in fifth place in Europe in terms of the number of species of diurnal butterflies found in our country (almost 220)? And in first place among the countries in Europe without a true Mediterranean climate zone! But, at the same time, our butterflies are much less known than in most European countries - we lack data on the state of their populations, on changes in them over the years, and on possible factors that threaten the habitats and populations of butterflies.
Collecting such data requires the coordinated efforts of enthusiastic hobbyists and experts, who together collect data from different locations using a simple, unified methodology and submit it to the European eBMS database . In several Western European countries, such networks have been operating for decades, and have already proven their enormous value in determining the status of butterflies in these countries.
The Bulgarian network has been operating since 2020, and although still small, it already collects data on over 120 species of diurnal butterflies. It is one of the very few such national networks on the Balkan Peninsula – and proof that this form of citizen science is also possible in our country!
Butterflies and moths of Bulgaria
- The main source for online information about diurnal butterflies in Bulgaria - http://www.butterfliesofbulgaria.net , in Bulgarian and English
- Facebook Page: Пеперудите в България - Butterflies and moths of Bulgaria
Here you can share your butterfly photos, find out which species you've captured, and stay in touch with our close-knit and welcoming community of over 2,600 people.
- Facebook page for registered members of the Bulgarian Butterfly Monitoring Network: Butterfly Monitoring Bulgaria - Monitoring of butterflies in Bulgaria .
- Transect Manual
Discover the transect methodology for butterfly monitoring, the methodology used to monitoring butterflies and understand their conservation status. In this manual, you will learn the simple and basic rules to follow when performing a transect.
- eBMS Transect Manual (Bulgarian)
- eBMS Transect Manual (English)
- Download the Field Sheet (pdf English) for registering your data on the field
- eBMS Guidelines
Download the complete eBMS guide on this link. It includes information on how to create new transects, edit your transects, add visits and see where to generate the graphs of your data.
Some parts of the guide could change, the website is updating.
eBMS Guidelines (in English)
- Contact
Please contact the national coordinator before starting a transect. The coordinator can help you _ with advice on where to make your transect and how to carry out butterfly monitoring.
If you wish to participate in the monitoring of butterflies in Bulgaria, contact the national coordinator: Zdravko Kolev ( butterfly.monitoring.bulgaria@gmail.com )