In the Land of Orpheus: Rural Livelihoods and Nature Conservation in Postsocialist Bulgaria

Barbara Cellarius provides an ethnographic description of village life and conservation efforts in an ecologically important region of one of the most biologically diverse countries in Europe. She describes the ways in which the lives of residents of a rural community are affected by outside forces, particularly the economic and political uncertainties that have plagued Bulgaria since the collapse of communism. She examines larger forces, including environmental non-governmental organizations, interested in linking global conservation priorities with local communities.