Secondary schools from Varna and Dobrich are invited to join their pupils in an interactive lesson and role-play about the protected areas of the Northern Black Sea coast. The educational meetings will be led by ecologists and environmental education specialists from the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development. The aim is to generate ideas for sustainable use and economic development of the wetlands through non-formal education resources. Young people will learn about the specificities and conservation regimes of this type of areas, the environmental problems that accompany their modern management, and the professions and crafts that have developed in the past and today in these places. They will take on the role of stakeholders in the development of protected areas – local authorities, businesses, local residents, ecologists. The aim is to provide proposals for the development of the areas that will both protect the natural resources and be in their and the local communities’ interest. Applications for schools to participate can be made on the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development website here.
The trainings are held under the project “The Unknown Paradise”, which is implemented thanks to Lidl Bulgaria’s largest socially responsible initiative “You and Lidl for our Tomorrow”, in partnership with the Foundation “Workshop for Civic Initiatives” and the Bulgarian Donors Forum.
Within the project a four-day tent camp was held in. Ezerets, Shabla municipality, at the end of August. 15 young people and professionals dealing with education, ecology and architecture got to know the protected area “Shabla-Ezerets Lake” and the possibilities for sustainable tourism in this type of areas. At the end of the training, they produced a mock-up design of the area in 20 years’ time, integrating the protected areas with the economic and social development of the area.
The project also produced three short films about life around Lake Durankulak, the Kazashko and Yatata protected areas. Footage from Shabla-Ezerets is also to be edited. The last film will convey the emotion of the tent camp – training of the youth in the village of. Ezerets, presenting sustainable practices for economic development of these areas.
The films can be freely viewed on Ecovarna’s YouTube channel.
“Although they only cover about 6% of the Earth, wetlands are some of the richest ecosystems in terms of species diversity. 2/3 of the world’s fish spend at least part of their lives in them. These areas absorb millions of tons of carbon every year and thus reduce the effects of global warming”, recalls Ilian Iliev from the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development.
Photo: @Ecovarna
