Just picture it: one slope at a time, you are journeying into the heart of Rila National Park, the largest of its kind in Bulgaria in a total area of 810 km2. Your breath floating up through the peaks' altitude range, 800 to 2925 metres above sea level, you are refreshed visually and physically by the beautiful Skakavitsa waterfall; the violet colour of the Rila primrose, endemic to the Rila Mountains' peat bogs and lakesides, accompanies your moments of contemplation; the Balkan chamois, on cliffsides that look quite inaccessible, amble along. Rila is a piece of art on its own, a living fresco – but in its corners, the unmistakable fingerprints of human presence and climate change threaten to stain it irreversibly.

For this reason, in late August, the Game On! project gathered 20 young Bulgarians — with backgrounds in ecology, communications, law, power engineering, landscape architecture, medicine, pedagogy, etc. — for a series of expert-led lectures in Rila's most amazing locations. In mountain lodges, beside lakes, and on the slopes themselves, the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation introduced our participants to the history of this protected area and the challenges facing its conservation.

   
A flowering Rila Primrose, sometimes called 'God's Cowslip', and an alert chamois; at full speed, they can run at speeds of 50kph and leap 2m vertically

No Smoke without Fire

As witnessed by the young attendants, one can also get to see sadder sights in Rila National Park. The Seven Rila Lakes, for instance, and their vulnerability as an ecosystem: a hot spot where ecological, economic, and cultural interests intersect – or, from the top of Mount Small Kalin and Mount Great Kalin, the small wildfires that sometimes break out on the borders of Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Experts, citizens, and the management of Rila National Park have to look for sustainable solutions together, to reduce environmental impacts at a local level and advocate nationally and internationally for green policies.

Wildfires are increasingly common throughout the Balkans and Mediterranean, as summer temperatures continue to break historical records

To aid these reflections, Game On! invited along experts and their work on high-mountain flora and fauna, climate change and sustainable tourism. On the shore of one lake, Assoc. Prof. Emil Gachev from SWU Blagoevgrad talked in detail about the geological conditions that made Rila's glacial lakes what they are today. Gachev also talked us through the water cascades at Karagyol, where huge power-generation has been achieved with hardly any change to local ecosystems: encouraging progress for ecologically-sound hydropower.

One of the most interesting topics covered was the link between tourism and climate, and in particular the effect of climate change on ski tourism due to the smaller amount of snow and fewer snowy days. Siya Cholakova, PhD, from Sofia University explained the challenges to areas where developing winter sports is seen as a priority — and the importance of economic diversification, so that local communities can still earn a living.

Two of the Seven Rila Lakes, the most visited group of lakes in Bulgaria, and Dr Siya’s Presentation. The Borovets ski resort, located on Mt. Rila, is the oldest in the whole of the Balkans

The state of Rila's breath-taking lakes was a key topic of discussion during the camp. Their cultural and spiritual value to Bulgaria makes them a hot spot for tourists, and the Directorate of Rila National Park (IUCN II) has to constantly monitor their ecological state. Negative impacts in the lake area are directly linked to the increased human presence. Visible treading, erosion, eutrophication, pollution are just some of the problems observed. Vegetation and eutrophication processes in the lakes are clear and intensifying — with the shallower and lower-altitude lakes most affected. Their waters are overgrown with macrophytes which, as they decay, consume the water's oxygen content.

Boyan Zafirov (a young scholar and ‘Climate: Game On!’ ambassador) has also confirmed these conclusions in his research. Boyan shared the results of his work through satellite images, which show that climate change intensifies the effect of the ecological imbalance in the lakes which is due to anthropogenic pressure. The Trilistnika Lake (The Trefoil) and Ribno Lake (Fish Lake) are the most affected ones, where a large summer tourist presence coincides with dramatic vegetation.

You can find out more about Boyan's results on the Climateka web page (in Bulgarian): https://www.climateka.bg/sedemte-ezera-v-rila-vliyanieto-na-klimatichnite-promeni/

The Alpine Belt

Overlooking Mount Haramiyata, Chief Assistant Vladimir Vladimirov from the BAS Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research presented a research program studying the loss of alpine biodiversity on a global level (a study in which Bulgaria has been participating since 2019). Research and observations up to this point tell us that climate change in the mountains is a fact, with the upper boundaries of the forest moving towards the subalpine belt. This means that the species located in the higher parts of the mountain — alpine species — have nowhere to go.

The most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) support these findings. Its conclusions are unambiguous: the Earth is warmer by 1.09℃ in comparison to the pre-industrial era, and the main cause is human activity and fossil fuel usage. The rise in sea levels and the melting of glaciers would continue for decades even if human activity immediately comes to a complete halt.

For more information about the methodology applied for the assessment of the changes in alpine habitats as a result of climate change, please follow the link:  https://gloria.ac.at/scope/aims

While the IPCC report is still triggering discussions and is being challenged by the powerful lobby of large business, which will be affected by the urgent changes needed, the changes in the environment are becoming more and more obvious. Together with Hristo Panchev, PhD on communications, the young project ambassadors brainstormed ideas about effective ways to pass on their knowledge about climate change.

Over the course of 4 days, participants and lecturers put together the pieces of a puzzle depicting the impact of humans and climate change on the delicate ecosystems in the mountains and the alpine belt. The Rila Mountains are a testament to natural beauty, but they are also a reminder of what we, as a species, have to lose in the fight against climate change.

The Expedition Crew!

The Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation and the Game on! project would like to sincerely thank the lecturers, participants and our partners from Climateka, For the Nature Coalition, the Directorate of Rila National Park, ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’ Sofia University, ‘Neofit Rilski’ South-West University, and BAS.