The second Bulgarian Communities of Practice (CoP) meeting took place on 2 June 2025 at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, in conjunction with the Day of Applied Geography and Geospatial Technologies. The event was organised by the Bulgarian Geographical Society and the University Centre for Geospatial Research and Technologies.

The meeting gathered a wide range of participants, including representatives from state institutions, academia, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector. This diverse audience enabled rich and productive exchanges on ecosystem services, nature-based solutions, and the role of geospatial technologies in evidence-based policymaking and practice.

The event opened with a presentation of the “One Tree” platform, an initiative aligned with SELINA’s Seeds of Change goals. One Tree introduces an innovative approach to mapping and digitalising urban forestry, offering an inspiring example of local action with broader implications for environmental awareness and sustainable urban development.

A key feature of the meeting was its emphasis on inter-project collaboration. Representatives from other Horizon Europe-funded projects - BioAgora, eLTER, RESPIN, and CO-OP4CBD, were invited to present their work. These presentations fostered the identification of shared objectives and potential areas for cooperation, particularly in the fields of biodiversity, ecosystem service assessment, and sustainable decision-making.

The Framework for Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (FIEA), a central component of SELINA, was presented in detail by Prof. Stoyan Nedkov, who offered valuable insights into its methodology and applications. As a key output of the project, FIEA represents a structured approach to integrating ecosystem information into decision-making and will continue to be developed and refined in the coming months.

The meeting concluded with an open discussion session, providing attendees with the opportunity to reflect on the day's insights, exchange ideas, and explore future avenues for collaboration.

This second CoP meeting in Bulgaria highlights the importance of sustained dialogue across sectors and projects, reinforcing SELINA’s mission to build capacity and support the uptake of ecosystem service information in policy and practice at national and European levels.