Description
The project addresses the damage to the emblematic horse-chestnut trees in Sofia from horse-chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella) damaging their leaves and stunting their growth. The project aims at raising public awareness of the danger, efficiently reducing the spread of the moth in a mass voluntary campaign and thus save the chestnut trees in Sofia. First, the number and condition of the trees in 6 areas will be studied. Second, a software application and a database will be developed. Third, 6 primary schools and about 120 fifth- and six-graders will be involved as volunteers in 6 teams. The trees will be counted and mapped and the Chestnut Tree Feast will be organized. Fourth, an integrated plan will be developed to fight the moth and 3 measures will be implemented: manual leaf removal, placing 30 titmice houses and 60 pheromone traps. The project will save the trees and will raise the awareness of the students and the local community of environment protection.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the damage to the emblematic horse-chestnut trees in Sofia from horse-chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella) damaging their leaves and stunting their growth.Through the implemented activities, the project "Mission Chestnut" has achieved its primary and specific objectives, namely it provided a broad civic participation of the specific target group (pupils up to grade 7) to resolve a specific environmental problem in the urban environment. The specific benefits of the project implementation are the accumulated, provided and promoted information among the broad public and tools to tackle the problem. The project realisation was necessary in order to increase the activity among the participating pupils, to improve their awareness and to familiarize them with the basic principles of sustainable development. "Mission Chestnut" provided children from seven schools in Sofia to come into direct contact with nature in urban space and to make systematic care of significant for the city of Sofia tree species. The main method to achieve the objectives of the project was active work with the key stakeholders - pupils and their direct involvement in the activities for taking care of chestnut trees. Raising awareness, in turn, was achieved through the use of different communication platforms – project web site, Facebook page and publications in Magazine 8. The key target group - pupils were the main performers within the implementation of each event for taking care of chestnut trees. Civil servants of the responsible administrative structure in Sofia municipality, "Green System" can use the accumulated information on the spatial location of chestnuts. They, like everyone else interested in the matter can use the developed mobile platform and database infrastructure for aggregation of new information. Benefits for residents and citizens of Sofia are that due to efforts within the project care, the status of 600 chestnut trees in the city is significantly improved.
Summary of bilateral results