Environmental education

bar61.gif (2295 bytes)

w9.jpgThe environmental education of the local population is one of the priority objectives of the biosphere reserves. In the Carpathian biosphere reserve, much attention is paid just to this activity. The reserve was one of the first, among the former U.S.S.R reserves, where a group of staff was formed, to deal with the questions of environmental education and training of the population.

The main objectives of the ecological-educational activity of the reserve are: explanation of the unique of the Carpathian biosphere reserve and its significance for the conservation and maintenance of the environmental balance in the region; raising of general ecological-educational standard of the local population; informing the population on the real ecological situation in the region; formation of friendly attitude of the local population towards the reserve and its activity.

Special methods of ecological propagation, taking into account social peculiarities of the population, are practised in the Carpathian reserve. It was determined the specific groups of population, which need non-traditional forms and methods of work. They are: inhabitants of the territories, bordering on the protected massifs; population of this land, in general; visitors of the region - tourists, holiday-makers, etc. Another specific group is youth, among which the ecological-educational activity is very necessary.

The most efficient is the environmental-training and informative activity through the mass media in regard to the territorial and quantitative embrace of the population. The reserve has good contacts with the separate district and regional newspapers, where the materials aimed on nature protection are regulary published. In 1994, the Carpathian biosphere reserve began to publish all-Ukrainian ecological scientific-popular magazine "Green Carpathians", the subjects of which include wide range of issues - from ecological problems of the present day to the historical and cultural heritage of the Carpathian land. Nature and activity of the reserve are reflected in numerous scientific-popular video- and films, books, booklets, postcards, envelopes, badges etc.

The reserve also co-operates with the Ukrainian environmental television. Several video-stories and a video-film about the Carpathian biosphere reserve were prepared for the ether by combined efforts.

In the administrative centre of the reserve, in the town of Rakhiv, the Information Centre was established for visitors, which includes the display on nature of the CBR, lecture and display hall, library, ecological trail. The Museum of Mountains Ecology and History of Nature Use of the Ukrainian Carpathians is under construction now, in the area of more than 1000 sq. m, which will include 2 thematic sections. The first one will represent the history, geology, geomorphology of the Carpathian mountain system, typical Carpathian landscapes and their components. The second one is dedicated to the history and problems of nature use in the Ukrainian Carpathians - from the beginning of settling to the present day. The construction of the Information Centre is also conducted in the famous "Valley of Narcissi", where thousands of visitors come annually. The establishment of the Information Centres and ecological scientific-cognitive routes is envisaged also in other protected massifs.

The reserve gives much attention to the environmental education and training of youth. It has good contacts with many schools of the region, in particular of Rakhivschyna, where the thematic lessons are held regularly. The published output, materials for the mass media, displays for the Information Centres are prepared with the orientation on the rising generation. Youth actively participates in the nature-protective actions, organized by the Carpathian biosphere reserve. For the period of more than ten years, the reserve annually organizes ecological tent camps for young people. The camps, initiated as regional camps, have gained, for the last years, a status of the all-Ukrainian ("Oikos") and have all presonditions to become international camps.

 

 arrow24.gif (5499 bytes)