Ochrona różnorodności biologicznej i ekosystemów na terenie Dorzecza Parsęty poprzez edukację dzieci i młodzieży

The Union of Towns and Communes of the Parsęta River Basin proudly announces that we obtained co-financing for the project named “Protection of Biodiversity and Ecosystems in the Parsęta River Basin through Education of Kids and Youth” from the funds managed by the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism for 2009–2014 and the Voivodeship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Szczecin.

The following tasks have been completed as part of project implementation:

• Establishing Biodiversity Labs in 22 primary schools in the member townships of the Union of Towns and Communes of the Parsęta River Basin. The laboratories have been equipped with oak furniture, multimedia systems, information boards, maps of protected areas, interactive whiteboard devices, specimens of insect species in showcases, bird images and biodiversity educational games. The equipment and decorative items are designed to assist teachers who conduct classes in identifying endangered species of plants and animals, protected areas, and assigning plant and animal species to the areas they inhabit. The new concept of a laboratory and the conducted classes have been designed to improve the efficiency of knowledge sharing and encourage pupils and young students to learn about our natural environment.
• Organizing one hundred and sixty-eight 2-day environmental workshops in biodiversity, climate changes and importance of ecosystems, for children and young people attending forms 4–6 at primary schools, at the Environmental Education Centre in Lipie. The 2-day workshops included classes conducted in the Centre and its surroundings, and sightseeing tours. The participants visited the Świdwin Forest District on the first day, where they could observe numerous, diversified plant communities. The effect of invasive species on biodiversity was discussed. On the second day, the young people visited the “Hortulus” Gardens in Dobrzyca where they were acquainted with available options of reconstructing the natural environment destroyed by anthropogenic impact, restoring biodiversity in devastated areas, with endangered plant species and methods for preserving them, with bird species inhabiting the Gardens (including the hoopoe, Bohemian waxwing, goldcrest, common blackbird, magpie, turtle dove, white wagtail), insects, numerous small mammals (such as the hedgehog, fox, marten, muskrat) and reptiles (including frogs, lizards, newts, salamanders, slow worms).
• Organizing ninety-four 1-day workshops for pupils attending forms 1–3. The 1-day workshops included topic-focused, laboratory and open-air classes in the picturesque Centre surroundings, in a Natura 2000 area. The pupils were taught to identify animal tracks, tree, bush and flower species in the local ecosystems. The children learned how to use maps, navigate in terrain, and collected samples studied in laboratory tests.
  All schools from the Zachodniopomorskie province are invited to participate in the workshops. The total number of participants in the educational activities reached 10 480 people.
• Photography contest for primary and middle school pupils with the motto “Biodiversity around us”. 445 pupils registered their photographs in the contest. The best pictures will be published in an album printed in 1 000 copies.
• A teachers' contest for the best scenario of classes in biodiversity for children and young people. The best scenarios will be published in a good practice guide printed in 2 000 copies
• Development of a mobile Internet application as an innovative component of the project. The mobile application will be available on mobile devices, such as mobile phones, smartphones and tablets. The application is to include a guide to plant and animal species that inhabit the Parsęta River Basin and an interactive Parsęta River Basin – board games, questionnaires, quizzes.