- The ecological education department director N.G. Tairova
It is well-known, that the result of unthinking attitude towards environment is irreversible violation of the ecological condition around the world. The catastrophic disappearance of plant and animal species, violation of the hydrologic and atmosphere balance on our planet – all this is the result of not only air and water pollution and so forth, but also the complete absence of elementary knowledge about nature.
The wide spreading of ecological education would give the opportunity of prevention of negative influence on the environment of human industrial activity.
Nowadays most of people, especially the urban population, are remote from nature. There is a huge gap in the interconnection of ecological knowledge and understanding the environmental problems. The acquisition of ecological knowledge and upbringing can not be based on abstraction, but come from first-hand experience and practical activity.
The leading role in preserving the landforms of the geographical zones in their unaffected condition plays reserves and, particularly, ecological educational departments.
- Young defender of nature
Unfortunately, the amount of breaking the protection regime increases with each year. The way out of this juncture is better to search for not only in reinforcement the protection regime of the reserve’s territories, but also in activity aimed at the ecological education of people, which are held by the ecological education departments of Specially Protected Natural Areas.
The activity of the ecological education department of the “Khakassky” reserve started in 1996. Since then the workers has raised the level of their skill, their work become systematic.
The main task of this department is creating the favourable public opinion about the reserve and its activity, attracting attention of the society to the problems of the reserve and its current tasks.
The priority guidelines of ecological education activity:
The organization of ecological actions and events
- Regional event “Save the bird world”
Ecological festivals and actions compose the complex of events aimed at fostering the senses of ecological and patriotic duties of children and young people; they also serve as the means of attracting attention of the society, public authorities and local governments to the contemporary problems of reserve.
Holding such events as “Earth Day”, “Parks marching”, “Save the bird world”, “Days of protection from the ecological danger”, “Days of reserve’s workers”, “We clean the world” and “Protected Christmas tree” helps to unite the opportunities of educational establishments, public officers in order to solve the ecological problems of the Republic of Khakasia.
Every year the workers of the ecological education department project new methods of holding the events and competitions, which help to solve the reserve’s problems more precisely.
Museum activity
- Excursion to the Museum of Nature
No less important activity in forming the ecological culture of people is visiting nature museums and photographic and art exhibition. Such exhibitions turn on public interest to the nature, and consequently, arouse their interest in its problems.
The “Khakassky” reserve collaborates with the Tashtypskiy municipal museum of regional studies, Abazinskiy local history museum, District municipal museum of regional studies named after D.S. Laletin for many years, put up and renewing different theme expositions like “Inhabitants of water-marsh lands of the reserve”, “The Lykovs’ land”, “Protected nature world” and so on.
Besides, temporal and travelling exhibitions are organized (children drawings and creative works made of natural and non-natural materials), which are disposed in schools, public authorities and local governments.
Interaction with mass media
- Journalistic ecological convention on Lake Itkul
The cooperation with mass media is one of the main guidelines of the reserve. The special importance is attached to the cooperation with regional and all-Russian publishing houses and also with nature conservation press. Our regular partners are “Russian newspaper”, “Reserves’ brotherhood” and “Ecology and life”
The ecological education department works on coverage the actual problems of the reserves in Russian and foreign mass media. The web site of the “Khakassky” reserve was created in may 2011.
The staff of the reserve makes press releases, thematic reports in the republican and municipal publishing houses, on TV and broadcast channels. They also wage actions and events in common with mass media representatives.
Advertising and publishing activity:
Advertising and publishing activity of the reserve is aimed at dissemination of information about the Specially Protected Natural Areas and forming the positive attitude towards them.
This advertising and publishing activity consists in printing and replication of informational, reference, cartographical materials, booklets, brochures, photo albums, calendars and souvenirs with the depiction of symbols, nature and objects of protected territories.
The other separate line of activity is movie and video creation, which allows to demonstrate the beauty, richness and diversity of the protected territories.
A lot of attention is paid to production using modern computer-aided technologies like CDs and electronic presentations.
Working with school students and pupils of pre-school educational establishments:
Working with school students and pupils of pre-school educational establishments is aimed at their attraction to nature conservation activity, widening their ecological knowledge, forming abilities and skills, assisting in their professional orientation.
The main methods of working with school students are:
- organization and conducting of children’s ecological camps and expeditions;
- participation in children’s and junior ecological competitions, conferences and contests;
- conducting of thematic lessons using interactive methods of teaching;
- creation and organization of work of children’s ecological and young naturalists’ hobby groups on the basis of Children’s Art Center and Young Naturalists’ Centre;
- conducting of thematic excursions to the Museum of Nature and reserve’s territories;
- involvement of school students in ecological festivals and events.
Interaction with pedagogues of educational establishments:
- conducting of thematic seminars and methodological consultations for teachers;
- participation in organization and conducting of extension courses for teachers;
- supplying with reference and other special literature and material on questions of protection the reserve’s territories, conservation the biological and landscape diversity, historico-cultural heritage;
- assisting in designing of specialized school classrooms, rooms for hobby groups, providing with the materials (photographies, movies, maps, posters, etc.);
- creation new ecological educational programs for different population groups.