LIFE is looking rosy for the pink waters of Natura 2000 site Atanasovsko lake

From the latest must-have kitchen ingredients to up-market facial scrubs, Bulgaria’s Lake Atanasovsko has long been prized by trend-setters in search of the latest sustainable consumer products. 

Separated from the Black Sea by a narrow strip of land, the famous complex of pink lagoons and salt marshes also attracts thousands of health-conscious visitors who bathe in health-giving pools of natural lye and black mud.  

But it is the lurid pink waters which make Lake Atanasovsko a mecca for nature-lovers, photographers and artists. The lagoon gets its colour from algae which produce red carotenoids, and is home to more than 300 bird species — including the rare Great Bittern — making it one of the most important Natura 2000 sites in Europe (7200 ha). The lake also lies on the Via Pontica migration route used by thousands of pelicans, eagles, harriers, storks and other species on their way to Africa and back. 

Covering more than 1 400  ha but just 30 cm deep, the lagoons are highly saline. For more than a century, locals have created salt pans producing salt using traditional methods, that not only is environmentally friendly, but creates suitable conditions for nesting of high number of bird species. Thanks to the Lagoon of LIFE project, co-funded by the EU LIFE programme, Atanasovsko Lake faces a rosier future. 

Among the impressive results posted by Lagoon for LIFE when it closed in 2024 were: 3 large earth dykes totalling 5 800 m repaired; water and oxygen levels, pH balance, pollution control and salinity all improved; 220 ha of coastal lagoon and 700 ha of the lake restored; nesting sites created on 7 ha; 17 640 m of dykes restored and 14 330 m of saltwater channels cleaned; 0.3 ha of eelgrass restored; 13 ha of wetlands created; 50 000 to 60 000 m3 of sediment dredged; 0.1 ha of moisture-loving trees planted; and the first sighting of a Crane (Grus grus) for more than six years. 

‘The secret of doing business in a protected area like Lake Atanasovsko is to maintain a balance between the use of natural resources and the conservation of nature,’ says Diyana Kostovska from the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, which coordinated the project. 

‘Doing business better’ was key. Together with its business partners, the project created a range of sustainable ‘products with a cause’ including sea salt chocolate, melted and gourmet sea salt, green salt made from plants, traditional Bulgarian spices, jams and candles — as well as prints and original works by local artists. The lake was the location for the surreal BIO Sphere art project, and for the award-winning documentary film ‘Salty People’ and even has its own annual festival. ‘There is no other natural area like this in Bulgaria that celebrates its own birthday!’ laughs Diyana.  

It’s this delicate relationship between humans and nature — the so-called ‘man-lake symbiosis’ — which enables wildlife to thrive. Just before the project closed in September 2024, Greater Flamingo chicks hatched on the lake for the first time. 

‘The flamingo only nests in safe areas, free from predators and human disturbance,’ explains project conservation officer Spas Uzunov. ‘That they were able to raise chicks here for the first time is a great achievement. The number of flamingoes has risen 30-fold since the project started in 2018.’ 

Lagoon of LIFE is the latest EU-funded LIFE project aiming to restore and conserve Lake Atanasovsko. It builds on earlier work by LIFE for the Bourgas Lake (2010-2014) and Salt of LIFE (2012-2018). The project also supports the EU Directives on Water, Birds and Habitats, as well contributing to the European Green Deal and EU Nature Restoration Law.