On June 28th, 2023 the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NMNHS) in Sofia inaugurated its latest temporary exhibition titled 'The pollinators we can't live without,' which sheds light on the crucial role of pollinators, the challenges they confront, and the necessary measures for their preservation. The exhibition was organised in collaboration with B-GOOD, along with two prominent projects, PoshBee and Safeguard, which presented their remarkable research findings related to the study of pollinators.

A visitor reading the information panel presenting the B-GOOD, PoshBee and Safeguard projects. Photo: Carla Stoyanova

The opening ceremony commenced with an informative presentation delivered by Prof. Pavel Stoev, the director of NMNHS and co-author of the exhibition. Prof. Stoev expressed his concerns over the decline of numerous pollinator species over the past decade, stating, "In our exhibition, we aim to draw attention to this very problem." He also presented a welcome letter from the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Forestry Executive Agency, emphasising the importance of the exhibition.

The presentation was followed by a concise overview of the three EU-funded scientific projects: B-GOOD, PoshBee and Safeguard, the results of which were presented by Teodor Metodiev from Pensoft Publishers, a partner institution of all three projects. Focusing on B-GOOD, Teodor highlighted the BEEP research platform, designed to support beekeepers in their role as caretakers. B-GOOD's platform utilises and further expands the open-source BEEP system, which offers an overview of all colonies, inspections and locations and allows users to manage and consult the data on the bee colonies from any place and device.

Teodor Metodiev introducing B-GOOD, PoshBee and Safeguard during the opening ceremony. Photo: Boriana Pandova, http://www.borianapandova.com 

Prof. Ekaterina Kozhuharova, a distinguished expert in ethnobotany, pollination and breeding systems of medicinal and rare plants, melissopalynology, ecosystem services, and conservation of rare plants, graced the exhibition as a special guest and shared some of her experience with the attendees.

Prof. Ekaterina Kozhuharova presenting during the opening ceremony. Photo: Boriana Pandova, http://www.borianapandova.com 

 

The temporary exhibition will continue until September 29th, 2023 in the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NMNHS), Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. 1, Sofia, Bulgaria.

The event is organised by the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NMNHS), in partnership with Pensoft Publishers and the scientific projects B-GOOD (GA No. 817622), PoshBee (GA No. 773921) and Safeguard (GA No. 101003476). The authors of the exhibition are Nikol Yovcheva (Pensoft), Pavel Stoev (NMNHS), Teodor Metodiev (Pensoft) and Anna Sapundzhieva (Pensoft), and the design of all promotional materials is Zlatka Yaramova (NMNHS).