Project Activities

• Developing methodical teaching handbook about the Carpathian biodiversity for primary school teachers and environmental educators. This comprehensive material will be structured in a way that each chapter will consist of three parts - background information which will provide basic information for educators from relevant topics, activity plans for classroom and work sheets that can be easily coppied and used for individual or group work of school kids. Chapters will include all important aspects of Carpathian biodiversity - evolution and origin of Carpathians, geology and geography, water, habitats, plant and animal species, local people, their traditions and culture, threats to the biodiversity and possibilities of their protection. In the development of handbook World of Carpathians extensive experiences of DAPHNE team with preparation of methodical teaching handbooks (Diversity of Life, Schools help to Improve the Environment, World of Woodlands, World of Peatlands World of Grasslands, World of Wetlands) will be used - publictions Daphne.
• The handbook will be prepared in English (work language), translated into 2 Carpathian country languages - Slovak and Polish and printed in each of them in 500 copies.
• Based on the handbook, a set of teaching aids will be prepared in each of three languages - EN, SK, PL in order to be used for presentation purposes and demonstration of the possibilities of using the teaching handbook.
• Special attention will be paid to training of teachers, university students in teacher education, and other environmental educators, since those are the key target groups that play an important role in increasing the level of environmental knowledge and awareness. Within the project, 5 regional training seminars will be organised in Slovakia. At the same time, members of CERI ESDE working group will be presented with the possibilities of using the handbook with the help of produced set of teaching aids. They will further help with the transfer of knowledge in their home Carpathian countries.
• Information in the handbook will be mediated to the public - local communities and visitors to the Carpathians. A colourful, attractive information brochure about Diversity of Life in Carpathians will be prepared in English, translated into Slovak and Polish and printed in each language in 500 copies.
• Distribution of publications: The methodical teaching handbook will be in Slovakia and possibly in Poland distributed primarily by mean of training seminars. English version of both publications will be distributed in 7 Carpathian countries with the help of CERI national focal points, CERI Secretariat and international member organisation WWF Danube-Carpathian programme, at the various national and international meetings and conferences - e.g. meeting of contracting parties of Carpathian Convention, workshops within Alpine-Carpathian co-operation etc. All language versions of both publications will be offered for distribution to the information and visitor centres in Carpathians and to bookstores to be distributed to public. English version will be available in electronic PDF format at CERI webpage www.carpates.org and at the webpages of partner organisations.
• National and international presentation and promotion: In order to publicise and present the project results and particularly the publications, a conference on the topic of Carpathian ecosystem protection will be organised. The participants from NGOs and research institutions of 7 Carpathian countries will be invited. Project will also be presented at the international forums, in journals and newspapers, in CERI Newsletter, by mean of CERI and partner's webpages and, press releases. A press conference will be organised when publications are printed out.