The Lake Baikal Foundation for Environmental Applications and Researchhas been awarded the Presidential grant in the sphere of «Environmental and animal protection», the category: «Developing everyday ecological culture of people». Based on the results of the competition grant has been awarded on the implementation of the project «The Baikal Nature Reserve School». The sum of grant comprised 4 502 249 rubles.
The project-winner aims at forming responsible attitude of the visitors and locals to the environment in the Zabaikalsky national park. It is assumed to be done through their involvement into the process of sustainable waste management and exploration of water composition in lake Baikal and other water sources.
«The Baikal Nature Reserve School»is ongoing interactive space in the Zabaikalsky national park(Republic of Buryatia). There everybody independently from his/her age, social status and other characteristics will be able to get holistic knowledge about cyclicity of wastes and hydrologic cycle, try their skills in compaction of recyclables, watch a chain of transformation of plastic bottles into clothes and even explore through the microscope water composition and benthal deposits from Baikal and other water sources!
The key values of the project are its inclusiveness and accessibility. At the moment the Zabaikalsly national park lacks educational space for vulnerable groups: people with special needs, children from teaching and educational institutions and beneficiaries of different social funds.
At «The Baikal Nature Reserve School» children and adults will acquire ecological knowledge and will be involved into the process of responsible and educational tourism, protecting the environment. Theoretical knowledge supported by practice will be transformed into eco-friendly habits after their visit of the park thanks to the positive emotional experience, got during an interactive class. The organizers of the project have an important task: raising trust of the local people to eco-friendly initiatives, provide reassurance in the importance of water research and aspiration to preserve nature.
Photo: Zapovednoe Podlemorye