The Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation has just launched a new, inspiring project, "Convivial Waterfronts", led by Dr Anna Antonova from the School of Social Sciences and Technology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), together with the Spanish organisation Salarte and the Albanian PPNEA.

A kick-off meeting is taking place in Munich over three days (June 15-17), coinciding with the ongoing #FlamingoRevolution in Albania, in which PPNEA plays a key role. This protected area of ​​Vjosa-Narta is located right next to Vlora, one of our three Convivial Waterfronts; the vital importance of protecting the environment and society was very important to us.

The Volkswagen Foundation is funding the project to support the transdisciplinary work that we consider so important for societal change.

During the meeting, the project team discussed the partners’ shared visions, the project schedule and management, finances and accountability, as well as the communication strategy. On the second day, a special excursion to the historic water heritage of Augsburg (UNESCO site) was organised. Human ingenuity, innovative engineering knowledge and world-class artwork: a recipe for success for the Augsburg water management system, documented for over 800 years.

We would like to thank Dr Anna Antonova, who organised a flawless meeting and made sure that all partners felt comfortable and open to discussing the coming years. We leave energised and motivated for the next five years!