PEOPLE WITH NATURE: The project has been successfully completed

On 30 September the Estonian-Latvian-Russian cross-border cooperation project “Promoting nature education as efficient mean of awareness raising” (People with Nature) has been completed; this project has made considerable contribution to the nature education development in the region where the project has been implemented.

Huge work aimed at improving nature education opportunities and offer in the project territory has been done thanks to intense cooperation of nature educators from Latvia, Estonia and Russia during two-year period.

The most significant benefit is the Nature Education Centres (NECs) created and developed during this project all over project territory:
In Latvia it is „Meža māja” in Ķemeri National Park (Ķemeri), „Ziemeļvidzeme” in North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve (Salacgrīva), „Vecupītes” Gaujas National Park, (Kocēni County), „Rāzna” in Rāzna National Park (Lipuški), Forest school „Pauguri” and Līgatne nature trails, in Gaujas National Park and „Jaundomes muiža” in Rāzna National Park (Dagda County, Ezernieki).
In Estonia it is Tartu environmental education and Cross border cooperation nature education centre of Peipus, Kāsepā, near the Lake of Peipus where new services are developed.
In Russia it is three NECs in National Park of Sebezh, one of them mobile and Visitors Centre in Izborsk.

No less important are new exhibitions with interactive elements and innovative nature learning materials developed within the project. Nature education specialists, teachers, representatives of municipalities have been trained through events, workshops and study days; children and teenagers have been engaged in the nature learning activities.

In order to enable other organisations interested in the nature education development to use the knowledge and experience acquired during the project, the Concept of Nature Education Centre Establishment and Management has been prepared; more detailed summary of the project results and practical experience can be found in the Project Manual.

11 organisations with vast experience in the field of nature education took part in the project “People with nature” which was initiated on 1 April 2012. The project has been implemented in the territory of Latvia, Estonia and Russian Federation, and its main objective has been to raise the awareness of the society on sustainable development and integrated nature conservation in the project implementation area as well as raise capacity of nature conservation institutions involved in the project in the field of nature education. Total funding of the project was EUR 1 499 977, from which 90 % constituting EUR 1 349 979 was co-financed by Estonia – Latvia – Russia Cross Border Cooperation Programme. The project duration was 30 months.

Information is prepared by Ilze Vanaga
Project communication specialist
Nature Conservation Agency of Latvia
ilze.vanaga@daba.gov.lv, phone: +371 26332768
Project home page: www.daba.gov.lv