The future of mainland Europe's rarest songbird, the Aquatic Warbler, is looking brighter because of a Belarusian scientist who has been awarded the prestigious Marsh Award for Bird Conservation. Dr Alexander Kozulin, who is the Conservation Director of APB-BirdLife Belarus, has been awarded the accolade for his work to save the fen mires of Belarus, home to the bird's core mainland European population. The Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola is a star species for Belarus. It features on the country's national postage stamps and is the emblem of APB. However, it is also classified as a Globally Threatened Species (GTB). In the 20th Century, most wetlands with breeding Aquatic Warblers were drained, causing significant problems for the species. However, recent conservation work, led by Dr Kozulin, offers a brighter future thanks to successful and ongoing efforts to save the fen mires of Belarus that they rely on.