Nikolay Boev and Nature Conservation in Bulgaria
Zlatozar N. Boev*
National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences,
1, Blvd. Tsar Osvoboditel, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
*E-mail: boev@nmnhs.com, zlatozarboev@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8049-7509
Abstract. The various aspects of the nature conservation work of ornithologist Nikolay Boev are presented, covering the period from his student years (1942–1947) to the end of his life. Among his most significant contributions are the creation of the Bulgarian emblem of nature conservation (1951); his participation in drafting the Nature Protection Act (1967) and its implementing regulations (1969); his role in changing the attitudes of hunters and the general public toward birds of prey (1960s); his efforts leading to the prohibition of inhumane hunting practices targeting marsh game birds (1955–1965); his lecture course “Ecological Foundations of Environmental Protection” delivered at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” (1973–1976); his initiation (1975–1981) of the publication of the Red Data Book of Bulgaria (1984–1985); his contribution to the establishment of the Institute of Ecology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1989–1995); and his involvement in founding the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (1988). According to his colleagues, he is regarded as the “father of modern ornithology and nature conservation in Bulgaria.”
Keywords: Nature conservation, History of nature conservation, Sozology, National Museum of Natural History
