Environment and Energy in Europe & CIS

Children and biodiversity in Russia

Conservation of rare and endangered species and strengthening and expanding protected areas are the primary activities for the UNDP/GEF Project “Biodiversity Conservation in the Russian Portion of the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion”. At the same time, the Project team works to increase awareness of biodiversity among the local population, including schoolchildren, who get quite enthusiastic about nature protection, giving hope for the living future of the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion.

An interregional youth project “Rally of the Friends of Protected Areas – 2008” was launched last week in Gorno-Altaisk. It is co-funded by the UNDP/GEF Project and Education and Youth Agency of Altai Republic and organized by the NGO “Ecological Club of Altai State University”.

Its participants – schoolchildren – will travel on a special bus over 3000 km through the Kemerovo and Altai regions of the Altai Republic, with an appeal to support protected areas. They will visit the Nature Reserve in Altaiskiy, Nature Parks in Uch-Enmek, Tchui-Ozy and Argut, and the Botanic Garden in Gorno-Altaiskiy. In Kemerovo Region, the rally will be hosted by Shorskiy National Park and Kuznetskiy Alatau Nature Reserve. Last year a similar project – “Rally of the Friends of Protected Areas 2007” – proved to be a success. Its participants traveled over 1500 km of the Altai Republic and Altai Region and visited Altaiskiy and Tigirekskiy Nature Reserves.

This year, the project follows a more diverse route. It gives hope that the schoolchildren will have interesting and educational summer holidays, taking part in nature protection events – planting seedlings, making forage for the wild ungulates, arranging and improving eco-trails. Trainers from Moscow, Altai Republic, Tomsk and Altai Regions will teach the skills of ecological monitoring, journalism, and team work. The children will learn a lot during the trip of the “eco-camp on wheels”!

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