Expedition Rhodope
Posted 15 July 2016
Imagine a place where, within an hour of arriving, you can get lost on a real adventure into the unknown, surrounded by nature. Not seeing another human for days on end, with only bears and wolves for company. Imagine a place where you can see over 30 species of birds of prey and a huge diversity of reptiles, amphibians and fish… It is easy to imagine this place to be Yellowstone, Canada or even the Serengeti (without the bears and wolves!). Actually, it’s on our European doorstep, in Bulgaria and it’s called the Rhodope mountain range.
Bulgaria isn’t thought of as being a hotspot in Europe for nature or as an opportunity for adventure. The Rhodope’s, recognised for their huge biodiversity, have been prioritised for conservation in Europe and are one of the major rewilding regions on the continent. This means that species on the decline, or that have even become locally extinct, are reintroduced with the aim of enabling nature to manage itself in the future. (The possibility of wolves coming back to Scotland is a U.K example of rewilding).
As a zoologist with a passion for combining conservation with true adventure, this is the exact place which rings ‘must go’ bells in my ears! I wanted to study the endangered birds of prey in the area, some of which are the subject of serious population decline, and raise awareness for the rewilding efforts in Europe and these stunning, wild locations on our doorstep. Expedition Rhodope was born. An epic adventure to trek the entire length of the Rhodope mountain range; a feat never achieved before. Along with Adam Wilkinson, fellow zoologist and cameraman and Katy Parrott, film producer, we began our 5 week journey, covering almost 400km of mountainous terrain. Unpredictable weather and wild camping around the most dangerous species in Europe, all whilst carrying 30kg on our backs! We investigated the distribution of birds of prey across the entire length of the mountain range building a picture of their preferred habitats and regions.
We met with conservationists from the NGO Rewilding Europe who are working out there and saw first-hand their conservation efforts on the ground. We also filmed the entire experience, aiming to create an educational and inspirational film for young people to learn about conservation issues in Europe and encourage them to organise their own adventures. Costs can really add up on an expedition like this and we aimed to keep it as low budget as possible without compromising on the quality of data we were going to gather or film to be produced. Tundra generously provided the team with Pure 0 sleeping bags. Having to carry all of our equipment, weight was one of the main concerns; these bags were the lightest on the market for their warmth, weighing only 620g for comfort at 0oC. They didn’t offer too much protection from the bears but they did keep us warm!
So what now? Well, now we have completed the practical stage of the expedition, the real work begins… This autumn the expedition film will be released as well as talks delivered to schools and other youth groups, spreading word about our adventure, conservation in Europe and inspiring them to get outdoors and explore! It is obvious to see that conservation is a growing concern at present and the next generation of conservationists will play a huge role in combating that.
Or view Expedition Rhodope’s film trailer at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4F-IUvphk8
Alex Fall
Expedition leader and zoologist