online platform where citizens could file alerts of illegal logging in Bulgaria's forests, and announced trainings for volunteers, willing to use the system, Actualno.com reported . Support for defenders of human, gender and social rights While originating from the environmental movement, BlueLink has extended support to other civil society sectors, including human, gender, social and refugee rights defenders. Following Bulgaria's sudden rejection of the Istanbul Convention in 2018, BlueLink analyzed gender-based violence online with support and funding from the APC's Femminist Internet Research Network and supported partnership among civic and state actors. Support for watchdog journalism BlueLink's original vision centered around using the Internet to enable free exchange of information, thus compensating for the flaws and biases of mainstream mass media. The organization therefore offered training and capacity building to journalists in Bulgaria and other countries. Since 2010 this changed, in response to lowering journalistic standards and media independence in Bulgaria and other countries of the region. In 2013 BlueLink launched as its Bulgarian language e-magazine for journalism in public interest. This was soon followed by an international edition for Central and Eastern Europe, entitled BlueLink Stories at . Management and organization BlueLink was initiated in 1997 - 1998 as an informal information network by representatives of 10 Bulgarian environmental NGOs and concerned citizens, referred to as "BlueLink's Founders”. BlueLink's Founders were led by ECO-CLUB2000, Sofia; and included also the Centre for Environmental Information and Education, Sofia; Environmental Youth Club Terra, Blagoevgrad; Academica GeoEcoClub, Veliko Tarnovo; Balkani Wildlife Society, Sofia; Environmental association Za Zemiata (For the Earth), Sofia; Bulgarian Biodiversity Preservation Society Semperviva, Pernik; and the Public Centre for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Varna . BlueLink was formally registered as a foundation in Bulgaria in 1999, under the Persons and Families Act. At this stage the network's co-ordinators Pavel Antonov and Vassil Beyazov joined as formal co-founders, together with the former representative to Bulgaria of Milieukontakt Oost-Europa Willem Tjebbe Oostenbrink. The PCESD, Varna, did not join formally, but has been recognized as an informal co-founder. Since its formal registration in 1999 the BlueLink Foundation has been governed by the Council of the Founders – its supreme body. It consists of formally appointed representatives of the eight co-founding NGOs; as well as the three individual co-founders. The Council of the Founders elects an executive board (EB) which runs the organisation. Since 2001 the EB has been appointing an executive officer