Networking around Nature
About of project:
Project Period: 01.09.2014 – 28.02.2017
Budget: total budget – € 259,703; EU contribution – € 233,703
Implementing Agency: Achova Ptušak Baćkaŭščyny (APB BirdLife Belarus NGO)
Location: Mahilioŭ Region (Bialyničy, Kasciukovičy, Čavusy, Bychaŭ, Horki Districts) and Homieĺ Region (Homieĺ, Mazyr, Chojniki, Čačersk, Žytkavičy Districts)
Description
Networking around the idea of wildlife conservation encourages local residents to take a more active part in social life, and their environment is improved as a result. Nature watching helps to overcome social stress caused by the Chernobyl disaster effects and is also a captivating activity.
Goals and Objectives: Engage as many active people of various ages as possible in environmental monitoring and nature and wildlife conservation.
Intermediate Outcomes: A community environmental network covering 10 districts was set up thanks to the efforts of local communities and the activists of APB BirdLife Belarus, with the aim of exploring and protecting nature. It is based on 98 "Winged Watch" (“Krylaty Dazor”) school clubs, three university student teams and seven advocacy groups.
Binoculars, GPS navigation devices, scopes and cameras were bought with Project funds for school clubs. The equipment is used for excursions and field workshops, where students, teachers and ornithologists record their findings in a database of important bird territories, and the Belarus biodiversity database – the resources that help professionals explore and protect the flora and fauna. In the winter season, volunteers install birdfeeders, build artificial nests and platforms for storks, remove litter and cut down brushwood on the breeding grounds of wading species.
In 2015, 22 training events dedicated to the protection of rare bird species and their habitats, 100 awareness-raising meetings for local residents, 10 field workshops, and over 100 thematic classes for schoolchildren were held. About 7,000 people had taken part in the Project activities by April 2016.
Traditional thematic festivals are held in the region and district centers in order to bring the general public's attention to the issues of nature protection and development of local tourism ("Bird Watchers" – in Homieĺ, "Waders" – in Turaŭ, "Rollers" – in Hronava).
Points of Contact:
Katsiaryna Prysiazhniuk, Project Manager
+375 29 384 41 48, katsiarynaprysiazhniuk@gmail.com
Hyperlink: http://www.ptushki.org/whatwedo/projects/networking_around_nature
