Lake Pomorie (, ''Pomoriysko ezero'') is the northernmost of the coastal Burgas Lakes, located in the immediate proximity of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

and the

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n town of

Pomorie Pomorie ( ), historically known as Anchialos (, ), is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20,5 k ...

. It has an area of 8.5 km² (reaching 10 km² together with the adjacent damp zones) and has an elongated shape with a length of 6.7 km and width of 1.8–2 km. Divided from the sea by a narrow strip of sand ( spit) and an artificial dike, the lake is an ultrasaline natural

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

. Lake Pomorie is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

since January 2001.

Sea salt Sea salt is salt that is produced by the evaporation of seawater. It is used as a seasoning in foods, cooking, cosmetics and for preserving food. It is also called bay salt, solar salt, or simply salt. Like mined rock salt, production of sea sal ...

is obtained in the north part and curative mud in the south. Located on the

Via Pontica Via Pontica was an ancient Roman road in Thrace along the Black Sea, starting from Byzantium and passing through Deultum (today Debelt), Aquae Calidae (today an outlying neighborhood of Burgas), Apollonia, Mesembria, Odessos, Byzone, and K ...

bird migration Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Animal migration, Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and ...

route, the lake is inhabited by 215 species of birds, 4 of which globally

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, and is thus of

ornithological Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

importance. Since the 2010s, the lake has become a wintering site for thousands of

greater flamingo The greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. Common in the Old World, they are found in Northern (coastal) and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent (south of the Him ...

es.

Pomorie Lake Conservation Brigade

For over 25 years, Lake Pomorie has attracted nature enthusiasts and environmentalists through the annual Pomorie Lake Conservation Brigade. Established in 1995 and organized by the NGO Green Balkans, the Brigade is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of habitats for migratory water birds, particularly along the

, one of Europe's major bird migration routes between Europe and Africa. A key focus of the Brigade is the protection and recovery of the

sandwich tern The Sandwich tern (''Thalasseus sandvicensis'') is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern (''T. bengalensis''), Chinese crested tern (''T. bernsteini''), Cabot's tern (''T. acuflavidus''), and el ...

(Thalasseus sandvicensis), a colonial-nesting seabird resembling a gull. The Brigade is part of a social and environmental initiative, "Mapping Sustainable Holidays in Bulgaria: Combine Volunteering and Holidays!", supported by the Bulgarian Fund for Women. The initiative promotes eco-friendly travel and volunteer tourism, using the Pomorie Lake Conservation Brigade as a model for sustainable holiday experiences in Bulgaria.Bulgarian Fund for Women. (2021, July 27). 11 Projects of Local Leaders will Receive Funding from BFW from the Climate and Gender Justice Program. Retrieved from https://bgfundforwomen.org/en/2021/07/27/11-projects-of-local-leaders-will-receive-funding-from-bfw-from-the-climate-and-gender-justice-program/

References

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Pomorie

Landforms of Burgas Province Ramsar sites in Bulgaria