19.04.2021. The close friendship of the Gardens in the distant Far East. The distant island of Sakhalin, the Russian Far East presented close friendship, new knowledge and skills to several dozen employees of botanical gardens and nature conservation organizations of various types and departmental affiliations. The international scientific and practical seminar, which took place from 12 to 18 April in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, was called "Development of ecological education and excursion path construction in botanical gardens."
However, the topics that the participants developed and mastered in the framework of this seminar turned out to be much wider. The seminar was organized with the participation of Russian and American specialists and was built on the basis of interactive practice-oriented blocks. All blocks were moderated by real professionals in their field - representatives of the NGOs Association "Big Baikal Trail", the "Boomerang" Club, which specializes in the protection of marine mammals and other nature conservation projects, employees of Russian botanical gardens, which are actively developing the direction of environmental education and awareness. Specialists from American environmental public organizations took part in the Seminar remotely, online. General issues of environmental education in botanical gardens were practically not discussed at the seminar. On the contrary, an emphasis was placed on the most productive modern methods - interpretation in the field of ecology and botanical science, organization of work with volunteers, excursion path construction and the creation of a modern information space on the territory of botanical gardens, the development of modern strategies and missions in botanical gardens, social marketing and administration. in gardens, botanical and ecological education and awareness projects and more.
The venue for the next block of seminars changed almost every day - the Sakhalin branch of the Botanical Garden-Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Literary and Art Museum of A.P. Chekhov, the Boomerang club, the Sakhalin Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Sakhalin Museum of Local Lore and a number of other locations. In addition, the organizers of the seminar prepared training trips for its participants to the unique natural complexes of Sakhalin, to educational sites for the observation and protection of marine mammals and birds, etc.
The flora and fauna of Sakhalin are unique, but, like all natural island communities, they are very vulnerable. The region has colossal nature conservation potential and can serve as one of the key centers for the development of modern methods of nature conservation and environmental education and awareness in Russia. At the time of the Seminar, Sakhalin really became one of the key centers for the development of modern methods of ecological education and enlightenment for Russian botanical gardens. It is worth noting that this project for conducting educational interactive seminars in the field of ecological education currently unites botanical gardens of the regions of Siberia and the Far East: Yakutsk, Amursk, Blagoveshchensk, Irkutsk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, etc. the Botanical Garden of Tver State University - the Garden of the Soul, which was represented at the Seminar by the director of the Garden, Yuri Naumtsev, was invited to participate in this Seminar. The Garden of the Soul has become the only botanical garden from Central Russia that has been invited and has joined this wonderful project so far. A separate source of pride was the opportunity to present at the Seminar some of the best practices of our Garden in the field of ecological education and awareness, as well as marketing and administration of botanical gardens.
Together with new knowledge and skills, methodological publications, certificates and unique Sakhalin plants, Yuri Naumtsev brought the most important thing from Sakhalin to Tver - new friendships and agreements on joint projects with botanical gardens and environmental organizations of Russian Siberia and the Far East.
However, it should be noted with regret that in the current situation, the issues of coordination of work and the development of new modern scientific and educational projects in Russian botanical gardens are taken on by new alliances of botanical gardens and nature conservation organizations, and the role of the Council of Botanical Gardens of Russia, which is called to work in this direction , has disappeared at the moment completely!
We sincerely thank our friends and colleagues from Sakhalin and the United States for the excellent organization of the Seminar, and the staff of the Garden of Souls and the Administration of Tver State University for the opportunity to take part in it.
The Far East has become a region of Close Friendship of Botanical Gardens! And the unique Sakhalin is the mysterious and distant "Island of Black Rocks" - an island of light, warmth and new knowledge. To paraphrase Freeman Tilden, the Seminar participants followed the path “Through the interpretation of scientific research and skills - to understanding each other and the problems of nature conservation, through understanding - to correct perception, and through correct perception - to care and friendship!» |
