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UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY

Faculty of Ecology and Landscape Architecture

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About the department

Address: Bulgaria, Sofia - 1797, bul. "Kliment Ohridski" 10, University of Forestry, Faculty of Ecology and Landscape Architecture: www.ltu.bg

Location: Administration - Building "A" office № 205

Head of Department: Assoc. Prof. Ralitsa Todorova Kuzmanova

Office manager: Eng. Hristina Hristova Stefanova - building "A", second floor, office 205, tel. 91 907/363

History:
Department Ecology, Protection and Remediation of the Environment was founded in 1974 and initially called Protection and Enhancement of the Environment. It followed the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference) from 1972 and was the first one established in Bulgaria. The Department ensured the guidance and quality education of the Postgraduate Study in Environment and Nature Conservation, part of the Faculty of Forestry at that time. In 1990 was created the Master of Sciences in Ecology and Environmental Protection Studies as a part of the Faculty of Ecology and Landscape Architecture. The first accreditation of the Ecology and Environmental Protection Studies at the University of Forestry was in 1999.
Heads of the Department were Prof. Dr. Boris Kitin (1974 – 1980), Prof. Dr. Sc. Svetla Gencheva (1980 – 1982 ), Prof. Dr. Viktor Donov (1983 – 1992) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimitar Zykov (1992 – 1993), Prof. Dr. Boris Peev (1993 – 1994), Prof. Dr. Elena Zheleva (1995 – 1999), Prof. Dr. Mariana Doncheva-Boneva (1999 - 2015)
From 2016 until now Head of the Department is Prof. Dr. Dilyanka Bezlova.
The aims of the lecturers at the Department are related to developing knowledge, skills and expertise, fostering attitudes, motivations, and commitment for environmental protection and remediation.

The actual academic staff of the Department is:

  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Petar Gospodinov Petrov
  • Prof. PhD Ekaterina Ivanova Todorova
  • Assoc. Prof. PhD Ralitsa Todorova Kuzmanova
  • Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Elena Hristova Tzvetkova
  • Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Dobrinka Dimitrova Zakova-Aleksandrova
  • Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Svetoslav Ivanov Mitkov
  • Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Alexsandrina Georgieva Kostadinova-Slaveva
  • Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Hristina Strahilova Bancheva-Preslavska
  • Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Georgi Stoychev Kadinov
  • Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Savina Rumenova Brankova
  • Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Veneta Veneva Stefanova

Subjects and lecturers:

  • Air Pollution and Impact on Ecosystems, Abiotic Monitoring - Module: "Air" , Air Quality Management, Basics of Environmental Control and Prevention, Renewable Energy, Bio-indication of Pollution of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Ecology and Nature Protection, Ecological Monitoring -
  • Protected Areas , Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Network (Modules), Sustainable Tourism (Module), Ecology and Nature Protection, Ecotourism - Prof. PhD Dilyanka Bezlova
  • Meteorology, Climatology and Meteorology, Biometeorology, Climate and Bioclimatic Changes in Urban Environment, Climatology, Agrometeorology, Hydrology -
  • Technology for Treatment of Solid Waste, Technologies for Purification of Fluids, Waste Management, Basics of Environmental Control and Prevention, Environmental Management Systems, Abiotic Monitoring - module "Water" and "Waste" - Assoc. Prof. PhD Ekaterina Todorova
  • Urban Ecology, Ecological Monitoring, Sustainable Tourism, Development and Project Management, Ecotourism - Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Elena Tsvetkova
  • Erosion and Torrent Control, Arrangements of Torrential Catchments - Chief Assist. Prof. PhD Dobrinka Zakova-Alexandrova
  • Ecology, Ecology and Nature Protection, Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Network - Assoc. Prof. PhD Ralitsa Kuzmanova
  • Technologies for Reclamation and Recultivation of Disturbed Areas and Soils, Management of Soil Resources in Urban Systems, Recultivation of Disturbed Areas, Recultivation, Recultivation of Technogenic Disturbed Areas, Remediation of Disturbed and Contaminated Lands, Biological monitoring - Assoc. Prof. PhD Petar Petrov
  • Hydrology, Hydro Melioration, Erosion and Torrent Control –
  • Technology for Treatment of Solid Waste, Technologies for Purification of Fluids, Waste Management, Basics of Environmental Control and Prevention, Environmental Management Systems, Abiotic Monitoring - module "Water" and "Waste" - Assist. Prof. PhD Alexandrina Kostadinova-Slaveva
  • Meteorology, Agrometeorology, Climatology - Assist. Prof. PhD Svetoslav Mitkov
  • Erosion and Torrent Control - Assist. Prof. PhD Hristina Bancheva-Preslavska

Educational process
Ecology and Environmental Protection Studies (EEP) at the University of Forestry are in the field of higher education 4. „Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Informatics“, professional field 4.4. „Earth Sciences“. It is carried out from the Faculty of Ecology and Landscape Architecture. The development and validation of the educational documentation are regulated in the Rules of Procedure of the University of Forestry. The education is in three academic degrees - Bachelor, Master and Doctorate (PhD).

  • „Bachelor of Science” Academic degree (B.Sc.) – professionals with wide knowledge and competences about the basic components of environment, ecosystems, laws of nature, biodiversity conservation, the impact of harmful substances in air, water and soil on the ecosystems and measurements for pollution reduction and sustainable management of nature resources.
    The education in B.Sc. degree in EEP in the University of Forestry is only full time and lasts 4 years (8 semesters), from it 7,5 semesters are theoretical and practical training and 0,5 semester is preparation for state exam or for diploma defense.
  • „Master of Science” Academic degree (M.Sc.) - professionals with deepen fundamental knowledge and competences, combined with profiling in special areas of ecology and environmental protection, which can manage, organize and consult, includes also practical trainings in public and private companies, science and educational institutions, state structures, industries, etc.
    The education in M.Sc. degree in EEP at the University of Forestry is after B.Sc., it is only full time and lasts 3 semesters. The profiling is in the following directions:
    • "Urban Ecology"
    • "Remediation of the environment and Ecological Monitoring"
    • „Ecotourism”
    • „Biodiversity Conservation”(in English)
    About 40% of the graduated students in B. Sc. degree continue their education in M. Sc. Degree. Over 50% of them advance professionally in the field of ecology and environmental protection. The Department had international students from Vietnam, Ukraine, Slovak republic, Serbia and Macedonia. After the graduation they successfully continue their professional development.

Engineers from leading industries and institutions are trained in additional qualification and postgraduate courses in the Department.
The authority of the Department is proven by the hundreds of graduated students – 400 Bachelors of Science, 383 Masters of Science and 8 PhDs.
Graduated students in Ecology and Environmental Protection Studies find a job in state, municipal, public, private and non-governmental organizations, companies and institutions like:

  • Ministry of Environment and Water
  • Ministry of Agriculture and Food
  • Executive Environment Agency
  • Executive Forest Agency
  • Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water
  • Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Institute of Microbiology
  • Municipal Administration
  • Regional Administration
  • Sofia Waste Treatment Enterprise
  • Heating Enterprise – Sofia
  • Thermal power station - Sofia
  • Non-governmental organizations
  • Private companies for waste treatment
  • Private consulting companies in ecology and environmental protection
  • Private industries
  • Regional Directorates of Forestry
  • Nature and National parks Administrations
  • Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of The Republic of Macedonia

In the curriculum are incorporated the educational objectives of the study and the quality characteristics of the Bachelor and Master academic degrees.
The curriculum is first elaborated and discussed at Department level, than is accepted at Faculty level and at the end it is validated from the Academic Council of the University of Forestry. The curriculum is updated every 5 years, considering the same procedure. The training includes obligatory, optional and facultative subjects. The ratio between this three types of subjects is determined with a decision of the Faculty Council. Every student has the possibility to choose subjects within the approved curriculum.
The curriculum of the Ecology and Environmental Protection Studies is being continuously maintained and developed according to the modern educational trends. Every year the Department Council and the Faculty Council analyze the quality of education and identify measurements for its improvement. In this regard improvements of the educational facilities are also planned. The aim is to increase the students’ interest, motivation and active participation in the learning process.
For most of the subject in the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree students work on case studies and papers with real data, that make them apply their theoretical knowledge in practice. The papers are often publicly presented, defended and discussed. The work on case studies and papers, individually or in small groups, develops the students’ creativity, their skills to systematize, process, summarize, analyze and assess different information in the field of ecology and environmental protection.
Mandatory training practices are included in the curriculum. They help the students to apply their knowledge in practice, to make correlation between environmental factors and components of environment, and related problems that they study in different subjects.

Scientific work
The research results of the academic staff of the Department Ecology, Protection and Remediation of the Environment are published in national and international refereed journals for ecology and environmental protection, in the scientific journals, edited in the publishing house of the University of Forestry - Forestry Ideas, Management and Sustainable Development, Innovations in Woodworking Industry and Engineering Design, in conference proceeding from national and international conferences, seminars, symposiums.
The academic staff of the Department provides consultancy and expert support.
The consultancy is related to solving environmental, technological, economical and other problems in the field of production and business activities, implementation of quality management systems (ISO 9000:2000, ISO 10017:2004, ISO 14000:2004, ISO 18000:2004), risk assessment and risk management (ISO 18000:2004) etc.
The expert support is provided through participation in working groups for development of strategies, plans, regulations for the Ministry of Environment and Water, Executive Environment Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Executive Forest Agency, through implementation of courses for postgraduate degree, through elaboration of Environmental Impact Assessment Reports and Ecological assessment. Lecturers from the Department also take part in international working groups.
There are opportunities to involve B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD students in the scientific work. The students’ participation in scientific sessions, conferences and seminars, as well as contests and other creative and sport events is being stimulated. For scientific excellence students are encouraged with material and moral awards from the Rector of the University of Forestry and other public organizations.
Lecturers of the Department take part in 14 international programs (ERASMUS, UNDP, Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, CEEPUS, LIFЕ+, ICP Forests, UNDP/ GEF, ICP Waters, ICP “Modeling and mapping critical loads”, ICP „Calculation and mapping critical loads for heavy metals in Europe”, ICP „Assessment and monitoring of acidification of rivers and lakes”, COST, Seventh Framework Programme - FP7).
International relations and contacts are made by the lecturers of the Department while taking part in international qualifications and creative business trips, conferences and symposiums, research projects, working meetings within world programs, conventions, etc.
Approximately 2,5 creative business trips and postgraduate qualifications abroad were made per lecturer of the Department in the last 5 years. For the same period B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD students in Ecology and Environmental Protection Studies were engaged in ERASMUS, DBU and other projects.
The lecturers of the Department make researches in different fields:

  • Improving the natural resource management;
  • Ecological monitoring, contamination and impact on components of environment, climate change;
  • Management and organization of erosion control, recultivation of disturbed areas;
  • Biodiversity research and conservation, alien and invasive species;
  • Forests, agricultural and ornamental plant health, and methods for pest control;
  • Business management and organization of the nature use;
  • Marketing research and analysis of economic and management issues;
  • Computer sciences, process and object modelling, training, for sustainable use of bioresources;

The main users of the research results are:

  • Ministry of Environment and Water, Executive Environment Agency, Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water;
  • Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Executive Forest Agency, National Service for Plant Protection, Quarantine and Agrochemistry, National Agricultural Advisory Service;
  • Regional administration;
  • Consulting firms for Environmental Impact Assessment, protected areas management plans, waste management plans, water use efficiency plans, environmental protection plans, projects to the „Rural development“ Program;
  • Public and private companies;
  • Etc.

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