Mission
Our aim at NGO 'Wild Rodopi' is to research and conserve the wildlife and rural heritage of the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains, by promoting convivial coexistence in the region between its human and non-human inhabitants, thereby helping to preserve the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains as one of the most important havens for biodiversity in Europe.
We believe that the ultimate long-term success of any such goal, involves undertaking a range of innovative ethnoecological research projects that will not only add new insights and understanding into the biodiversity of the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains, but also raise greater of awareness of the complex symbiotic multispecies entanglements that exist there.
By using a phenomenological approach, combining both ecological research and multispecies ethnography, we aim to give a more powerful voice to the nonhuman inhabitants of the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains, highlighting their own specific needs and rights in the face of ever-growing anthropogenic threats.
Acting as advocates for the nonhuman inhabitants of the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains, the team at NGO ‘Wild Rodopi’ strives to secure for them a more just share of the region’s rich natural resources, and to encourage a greater tolerance and hospitality towards them among the local human population.
Through our research and publications, our fundamental mission is, therefore, to broker “wild diplomacy” between the human and non-human inhabitants of the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains, and to foster shared and mutually beneficial placemaking, as ultimately we believe this is the only way to ensure long-term survival and flourishing for all.
