Farid Abdulganiev: "Today, protected areas play major role in ECO education." All-Russian meeting-conference on environmental education in specially protected natural areas "Protected Areas - Common Responsibility and Care" in Kazan

Modern methods and forms of conducting ecological and educational work in protected areas, the formation of the image of the protected area, the preservation of cultural landscapes, interaction with the local population. These issues were discussed today at the plenary meeting of the All-Russian meeting-conference on Environmental Education in Protected Areas "Protected Areas - Common Responsibility and Care". The event was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Volga-Kama State Nature Reserve", the environmental education center "Zapovedniki". The Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan Farid Abdulganiev addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. He noted that today the protected areas play a crucial role in ECO education. "Employees of the environmental education departments extend the boundaries of their work and reach a completely new level: they become coordinators of various forms of environmental propaganda in their regions. Active work with schoolchildren, close cooperation and the building of horizontal and vertical links with educational and cultural institutions, environmental organizations, business and government contribute to the development of environmental education in our country. The joint work of all interested parties will become a powerful system tool for raising the level of the environmental culture of the population, reducing the number of violations of environmental legislation, developing environmental volunteerism, and this will preserve and strengthen Russia's position as one of the world leaders in the development of the reserve business," Farid Abdulganiev emphasized. Igor Davydov, Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, also noted the high role of specially protected natural territories in raising the population's interest in environmental issues. "Ecological and educational activities conducted by nature reserves and national parks are an important task. This work is designed to educate citizens of Russia understanding the modern role of protected areas in preserving the natural heritage of biological and landscape diversity, the place occupied by reserves and national parks in the socio-economic development of the region. The result of this activity is public support for the state reserve system that preserves the national treasure," Igor Davydov said. According to the director of the Ecological Center "Reserves" Natalia Danilina, this year the PAs became more active on all fronts: mass holidays, conferences, new films, books, TV programs, articles in the press, as the year 2017 became the Year of the 100th anniversary of specially protected natural areas.

All-Russian meeing-conference on environmental education in specially protected natural areas "Protected areas - common responsibility and care" will be held until November 26, 2017. Its participants are representatives of Russian nature reserves and national parks, state museums-reserves, public organizations, state nature protection structures and educational authorities, as well as guests from Slovakia and Uzbekistan.

Press Service of MENR RT