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Description
Recently, there is no career educational program in the Czech Republic focused on national and international trends in nature conservation. The only comparable activity was the course "Recent trends in nature conservation" held by the Institute for Environmental Studies (IES), Faculty of Science, Charles University (CU), Prague in 2016-2018. Lecturers were represented by the best Czech experts in their field of study sharing expertise about recent trends. However, this model with certification lacked two significant aspects: the option to invite experts from other EU countries and to use efficiently outcomes and participation of experts for the awareness-raising activities targeting on experts, secondary schools and university students, and public. Therefore, the project proposal aims to develop the "Trends in Nature Conservation" program (TNC) that will suitably combine following activities in order to increase their impact:
1. Four-semester course TNC coordinated by the IES (CU): 2021-2023. The lecturers will involve Czech and foreign top expert; the outcome: 120-150 certified participants.
2. Three short movies in Czech and English version more than 40 minutes long, focusing on new nature conservation approaches, intended for secondary school and university students, and public. The movies will be published on YouTube and actively promoted through social media and partners incl. TV channels.
3. Popular educational publication - compendium of the TNC course (digital + print of 500 issues) and publication of three popular educational articles in the nationwide media.
4. Online webinars for general public: 10.
5. Lectures for students of selected secondary schools: 15.
6. Awareness campaign using social media of the CU and partners, namely the Czech Radio.
Summary of project results
The "New Trends in Nature Conservation" project, on which we collaborated with Matej Bel University and DHP Conservation s.r.o., is particularly important because environmental education is a crucial way to ensure effective and sustainable conservation practices. For both public and non-governmental nature conservation specialists, lifelong learning in the field is also a prerequisite for effective implementation of their profession. Such lifelong learning has been lacking in our country so far, while state nature conservation staff receive regular training in legislation, administrative and other official procedures, regular refresher training in nature conservation expertise has been lacking so far. This is particularly important as the field is rapidly and dynamically evolving. Therefore, our main goal in the project was to create of a system of regular professional training of nature conservation experts and at the same time to share interesting information about new trends with the public. Our secondary goal involves actively engaging high school students and the general public by showcasing firsthand experiences of conservation practices.
Our main activity was the arrangement of a three-semester course of continuing education at the Charles University designed primarily for nature conservation professionals. In addition, we prepared 10 webinars and 8 international online lectures for the public and 18 lectures for high schools. In this way we reached 1300 people. To spread awareness further, we implemented the campaign in the form of articles in Czech magazines Vesmír (Universe) and Ochrana přírody (Nature Conservation), social media and media inputs. Thanks to Czech Television and Czech Radio, we reached over 700,000 people. To reach a wider public, we also produced a documentary film " New Trends in Nature Conservation" and two film interviews with natural science personalities on the topics of the present, the future and the biggest threats to nature conservation. We have published all the talks, webinars and films on the project website. This increased our potential to reach not only target groups associated with nature conservation, but also a part of the wider public who are not indifferent to nature conservation.
We spearheaded a comprehensive three-semester continuing education course at Charles University, tailored specifically for nature conservation professionals. In addition, our efforts extended beyond traditional education, incorporating 10 webinars and 8 international online lectures for the public, and 18 presentations for high schools, collectively reaching 1,300 individuals. We broadened the impact as we published articles in prominent Czech magazines Vesmír (Universe) and Ochrana přírody (Nature Conservation), along with strategic use of social media channels. Thanks to stories broadcasted by Czech Television and Czech Radio, our outreach grew further, connecting with an impressive 700,000 people.
In our commitment to broader awareness, we produced a compelling documentary film titled "New Trends in Nature Conservation" and filmed two insightful interviews with natural scientists, exploring current trends, future prospects, and the imminent challenges to nature conservation. All presentations, webinars, and films are readily accessible on our project website, enhancing our capacity to reach not only the target audience within the conservation community but also resonating with a wider demographic passionate about preserving our natural heritage.
The significance of our project lies mainly in its broad outreach and its potential for longevity. This is evidenced by the fact that there has been and continues to be a strong interest in lifelong learning in nature conservation among nature conservation staff. The project thus successfully fills an existing gap in conservation education in Czechia.